


From the Heart （心によりて）

by MonochroMayhem



Series: Resounding Echoes AU [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Drama, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, English, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on deviantART, Psychological Drama, Symbolism, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:15:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25226668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonochroMayhem/pseuds/MonochroMayhem
Summary: When a new and dangerous ally to Robotnik threatens to bring vengeance down on the world, Team Sonic and Team Dark find themselves working together again to stop this new force. Little do they know that the rabbit hole goes a bit deeper than they expect though, ESPECIALLY Shadow.
Series: Resounding Echoes AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827637
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Genesis

"You've got a package, Gerald," the guard said, clattering on the bars of the cell with his baton. "Are you awake?"

The doctor sat quietly in the corner, writing out more of his ramblings in white chalk. The scrape against the wall popped and crackled as the drawing medium crumbled beneath his fingers. He sighed slowly, frustrated that the guard was bothering him so early in the morning. "What is it?" he huskily whispered.

"Says here It's from an... Ivo, Ivo Robotnik." The guard chuckled. "Are you two related?"

He hadn't heard the name in a while. Gerald's family was not told of how events had played out on the Space Colony ARK. They were given the same information as the general populace, down to the doctor being painted as a terrorist. Yet the doctor felt very little from it, since his grief had already taken everything that was left of his sanity.

Even so, he stood up. "Yes," he said, "that would be my grandson. He always did have a desire to make sure his family was alright. Strange that he'd be so bold to contact me knowing what he knows. I suppose that goes to show you the kindness a child has." He walked towards the guard. "You aren't pulling my leg, are you sir?" he asked. "I'd hate to be made a fool."

"I didn't know you had a grandson, to be honest. I just thought..." he went quiet.

"Please don't talk about it, Devon, I can't stand talking about it," Gerald said quietly. He carefully took the package and shimmied it through the bars. It was plain, wrapped in brown paper with twine twirled around it as though it were delivered by hand. Whatever was inside felt like water bottles, as though it were a container inside a container inside a container, and at its very core- or cores as there were multiples of the same sensation- he could feel the kinetic jostle of liquid. But the feel of it was so slight that even the Doctor wasn't sure if his deduction was only a guess.

But if it truly was the case, he thought, how would it have gotten past security?

"Thank you, sir," Gerald said. "Hopefully you don't have too rough of a day."

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?" he asked.

There was silence as Gerald turned and walked towards the tiny cell desk he'd been given. "Maybe someday I will be. But for now, I'm grateful for one last piece of my family."

As the guard nodded and continued on his usual route, Gerald meticulously opened the crinkly brown paper, taking note of the small details. There were no traces of poison or anything that would remotely harm him, but he was still adamant that his grandson hadn't sent such a package. He would know better than to send anything with liquids.

Gerald took his finger and ripped open the packaging to reveal a small box. It wasn't like anything he'd seen before, made of a light and sturdy material with an opaque and matte black finish. There were a few scratches from what appeared to be poor package handling, but otherwise it was perfectly intact in terms of condition. A few slots allowed a small amount of chill to escape.

The doctor carefully took a look at the pin pad on top. "What a strange gift," he said. "I don't recall anybody his age being able to build this."

As he lifted the device from the box, he noticed the yellowed and coffee-stained parchment beneath it. Tons of scrawlings in finely legible cursive, words of greeting from a dear family member. He warmly grinned, happy to have some sort of comfort in the isolation, but as he pulled them from the box, a few things were amiss.

To his knowledge, Ivo wasn't capable of this level of cursive at this age. Perhaps he could pull off the letters themselves, but the consistency of them throughout the whole piece alongside the even measurement of the gaps between each line was too uncanny to be his grandson's. 

But that posed a second problem- neither of Ivo's parents could write this way, either. He'd seen their handwriting before, and neither of them matched the tone, style or cadence of the letter either. The words weren't super complex, something he'd expect from a child like Ivo, and they were clearly riddled with mistakes throughout. And to top it all off, he was puzzled by the sheer number of pages inside the box. Six or seven pages of misspelled, finely written but legible cursive, from someone who couldn't have been either of them.

He noticed that the first few mistakes had been circled in red pen as though it were a graded homework assignment. Why on Earth would anyone, grandson included, send him homework to do?

Gerald bit his lip and tried his best to read, but the mistakes were getting to him, and so he carefully pulled out a red pen he'd been stashing in his desk. "Ivo, if this is some trick you've really got to..."

He paused as he read, making careful notes at each mistake, until he got a full page in and noticed exactly how much red ink he'd gone through. He squinted and adjusted his glasses. "Oh," he said. "I think I understand now."

As he continued his corrections, he pulled a notepad next to him and transferred the mistakes over. "It doesn't make sense on purpose..." he muttered.

The clattering of a creature crossed the cell floor, causing the doctor to jump and sharply inhale. The cold air of his containment stung at his throat in just the right angle that he coughed outward and dropped his pen onto the floor. The mouse that skittered into the corner clicked and squeaked.

Gerald gently rose from his chair and knelt down near the mouse. "How can a creature like you get in here?" he asked. "This isn't a safe place for you."

The mouse skittered across the floor and into a hole under his bed.

The doctor sighed. "Blasted things..." he said. "They shouldn't be wandering around here, too many traps."

He fished the pen out from under the bed and sighed. "Hopefully it should be good after a few more corrections."

As he sat back down, he noted the markings on the bottom of the last page, it looked like a constellation, or a connect-the-dots drawing. "What on Earth could this be?" he said.

He looked over to his notepad and nodded. "Alright, let's see what this says." He adjusted his glasses and glanced at the page to find a remarkable passage.

_To my dearest grandfather, Doctor Gerald Robotnik, it read._

_If you're reading this you've picked up on a number of things. First and foremost, you've cracked the code I tried so desperately to obscure from the eyes of your captors. Second, this wasn't written by my parents. Third, this communication is indeed not written by your grandson either- or at least not the grandson of your current time._

Gerald grimaced. "Current time?" he asked himself. He looked to one of the spare Chaos drives on his desk, something he'd bee tinkering with to pass what little time he suspected he had left. "This is..." He bit his lip and continued reading, unable to believe this wasn't some sort of cruel joke that G.U.N. was pulling on him after all they took away.

_You probably don't believe a word that I'm saying, so let me clear a few things up for you. Firstly, I know what happened to your granddaughter, my cousin, Maria._

Gerald clenched his fist and gently banged it on the table as he held back tears. "G.U.N. already knows that," he muttered bitterly.

_I also know that the world, including me, was told the wrong story._

"Again," Gerald said. "This is old news to me."

_But I know what you want with your Project Shadow. I know what you are about to do to the world._

Gerald paused, but continued. He'd told nobody of how he'd rigged Shadow and the ARK. Nobody knew what was to transpire years ahead of time. The only one who would have any understanding of that would have known the outcome. Gerald's heart beat faster as the worst of his fears was confirmed.

_You will fail, grandfather. Your work will have been in vain, but only if you choose to let this letter be the end. I will not ask you to change history for the better- I know that you want nothing more than revenge. But Shadow will fail, even after what you did to his memory. You will not have the justice you desire..._

Gerald grimaced and wondered if it was too late to take back what he'd done, but he realized with horror that Shadow's memory likely couldn't be tampered with any further, otherwise the integrity of his mind would prevent him from acting on his wishes. But if he was doomed to fail, what was the point?

_...unless..._

Gerald looked at the letter again as he brushed the tears away. The red lines from the weeping stung heavy on his face.

_Unless you want to try again. I've given you samples to work with, and the code is written for you on the last page. First, use the grid to determine the order of the numbers, and then apply them to the standard letter correspondences on a phone line. Then type her name, that should open it._

"Samples?" the doctor asked himself. He quickly scribbled the code down and typed the name in. "M-A-R-I-A..."

With a quiet click, the box opened revealing a set of labelled test tubes filled with blood. There were about six of them, two each of three different sample types. "He... he wants me to build another project." He looked at the metal box and grinned. "And he can't do it because he's focused on machines."

_I hope you come to see it my way, grandfather. You plans were ruined by a team of individuals just like your project. They ruin my own plans as well. But together, we can destroy everyone who ever brought us to this point._

Gerald played with the blood in the test tubes, which swirled around in a mass. "I don't have anything from the Black Arms left, though, how will I..."

He paused as he read one of the labels. "Hmmm..."

_Two animals and one extra critter,_ the letter read, _to tie it all together._

Gerald grinned and reached for the Chaos Drive on his desk. Carefully, he looked through the blood sample and the tube at the same time and noticed how little they both congealed.

_Do not show any signs of your work and avert suspicion by working with the Artificial Chaos that G.U.N. so desperately wants to weaponize. I must let you know that in a few months, you will be executed. Say your final message as though you knew none of this, and in time, your final act of vengeance will be released upon the world._

Gerald was already sketching out his next specimen, grateful for the relief and comfort a grandson, even a future one, was willing to give him for the sake of closure. This time he wasn't going to make a mistake. This was his last chance to burn the world to the ground. 

_Please take care, and don't be scared of what happens next. When the time comes and your project is released onto the world, I will be there to carry out your final wish._

_With high regards, Doctor Ivo Robotnik._


	2. Just Swarming Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Sonic meets with Tails' friend from the parts shop, Bastette, who tells them about a discovery from the ruins of Prison Island. As they sit down at a picnic Amy had prepared for them, the gang theorizes exactly what Eggman could be planning.

"It's nice to finally get you out on a picnic with us, Sonic," Amy said. "You always seem to disappear when we want to hang out."

"You mean when _you_ want to hang out," Sonic said. He was leaned against the tree with his legs crossed. His foot bopped along with a tune he seemed to have stuck in his head. "When's everybody else gonna get here?"

"Well, Tails is running a bit late, but Knuckles should be arriving with Cream and Cheese shortly," Amy replied. "But seeing as it's just you and me right now, we could start off with some cake..."

Sonic grimaced. "Amy, I don't think that we should eat before—"

"Aww, c'mon, Sonic, I made this cake for you," she said. Her delicate fingers carefully wrestled a small pre-cut slice she'd prepared from within the basket. "Here, I even brought whipped cream and strawberries for it," she replied.

Sonic frowned as she prepared a bite on a fork and slowly moved it towards his mouth. He turned his head, adamantly refusing to accept the bite.

"Oh come on, Sonic!" she said, gripping his shoulder and leaning in closer. "Just eat... the darn... cake!"

"Hi Amy," a gentle voice said from behind.

Amy bristled and threw the fork in the air. "C-Cream?!" she said, turning around. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to see you in a compromising position," Cream softly replied. Her Chao, Cheese, chirped from behind her and grinned.

Amy looked back to Sonic as he caught the fork in his hand and carefully bit the cake off the end of it. "This isn't too bad, Amy!" he said, shooting her a smug smirk.

Amy grumbled below her breath. _The nerve of that boy._

"Hey, don't just run off like that!" Knuckles said as he ran over the nearby hill. "Ugh, but you two can't help it though, can you? Such kids..." He bent over a bit, panting from the chase. "Hey guys," he greeted with a shaky breath.

"Hey, Knucks! Glad you could make it!" Sonic replied.

"Yeah, well, you know how it is... always gotta make sure that the coast is clear before I run off from my responsibilities," he said, unbending himself from his winded position. "Luckily the Island is visible from the vista, so as long as I don't get any calls back there from the Emerald, I should be able to handle a little visit."

Sonic smirked. "Didn't realize it could talk. Is it that lonely there?"

Knuckles frowned and turned to Amy. "What did you pack this time?" he asked, intentionally ignoring Sonic's absurd comment.

"Well, if you must know, I brought sandwiches and potato chips, apple juice, and cake to top it off! Oh, and there's fruit for the cake if you want it, Knuckles."

"Thank you," the echidna said as a small smile crept along the corner of his lip. "You seem to have everything prepared ahead of time."

"I did plan this a few weeks ago, Knuckles," she said. "I'm not exactly amazing at planning but I do my best to set time aside for my friends."

Sonic sat up. "Speaking of friends, any idea where Tails is? I don't want him to miss the picnic."

Knuckles shook his head. "Last I saw him he was heading out to get someone. He said it was a surprise."

"I suppose that's why he wanted me to pack extra sandwiches," Amy said. "Not that I didn't know- I had my suspicions. I just hope they're okay with the ones I made. I'd hate to for them to come all this way just to be left out."

"I hope they don't mind playing a few games," Cream said. "You... you _did_ remember to pack the frisbee, right?" 

Amy nodded and reached into a knapsack behind her. "I brought some other things just in case they weren't the active type. Never wanna leave someone out, after all."

Knuckles sat down next to Amy. "I'm starved," he said, reaching for a sandwich from the basket.

"Ah!" Amy sharply spoke, tapping the back of Knuckles' gloved hand. "You can't just hork food down before everyone gets here."

Knuckles frowned and looked to Sonic, who gave him a smirk in return. "Yeah, I wouldn't try it, bud," the hedgehog warned. "She's particular about that sort of thing."

Knuckles sighed. "I suppose a good wait is in order." Carefully he reached over for the frisbee. "Hey Sonic," he said, holding it up.

The hedgehog looked up from his relaxation spot and grinned. "You gonna play fair?"

Knuckles tilted his head. A few cracks sounded from each side. "As long as you do." He leaned back and threw the plastic disk, holding a hand to his browline as he watched it soar further away.

"Your strength against my speed, huh? This'll be fun." Sonic bolted from the tree, shaking it slightly and unknowingly jostling something hidden high in the foliage. 

Knuckles grinned as he watched Sonic disappear over the hills. "That should keep him bus--"

The frisbee slammed straight into his chest at high speed. He grunted and reached for it as it floated gently to the ground. 

Sonic stopped full force a few feet from his friend. The dirt beneath him left a divot as he halted, and the grass was slightly shredded beneath his feet, but nothing was too serious.

"Surprised?"

"You ran at high speed and threw it like that, didn't you?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic nodded. "Pretty good, right? But still, that was a far one. Nearly ran into a tree trying to reach it."

"Well, I guess I'm gonna have to try harder!" Knuckles gruffly shouted. He lurched back and threw it hard, sending it rocketing off into the distance, and Sonic along with it. The grass swayed under the breeze that was left in the disk's path, and Knuckles grinned as he jogged away from the picnic blanket to continue his game with his friendly rival.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Boys," she groaned.

Cream smiled. "I'm surprised that you aren't joining them. After all, you've been getting more competitive in sports recently."

"Sports are fun, but right now I just want to enjoy this beautiful weather," Amy said, smiling. "It's been really muggy until today, and I doubt the rest of the season is going to be the same, so I figured it would be good to sit back and relax. Well, that and I don't really get a chance to eat a meal with my friends. I can exercise everyday, but with Eggman recently having been spotted spying on us, we haven't been able to come together like this."

Cream tilted her head and hugged Cheese gently. "You don't suppose he's trying to get us all together for something do you? Don't you think that bringing us here would put us at risk?"

"Maybe?" Amy said, unsure of how to respond. "I chose this spot because it would be easier to keep a watchful eye out. There aren't a lot of trees here, just open grass."

Cream lowered her gaze. "I guess you're right. It seems like we are in a pretty safe spot here. We'd be able to see any of his bots coming." Her gentle voice rung out as more than a little worried.

"What is it, Cream?" Amy asked.

"It's just..." she looked to Cheese and sighed. "Cheese here has been having some nightmares and I'm not sure what to do."

"Chao," Cheese spoke. His eyes were a little bit somber. 

"It's been rough on him."

Amy knelt down and took a look at the small Chao. "I don't... see anything wrong with him."

"That's why I'm worried," Cream said. "He's eating fine and everything, but he keeps getting woken up by whatever he keeps dreaming about..."

"Chao..." Cheese whimpered. He cast his eyes down to the grass.

Amy pursed her lips. "I said I wasn't going to let anybody eat before Tails arrives with his friend, but I can make an exception for you, Cheese," she said, plucking a strawberry from the basket. She offered it to him. "Here ya go, buddy."

Cheese cautiously took the strawberry and nibbled at the top of it, humming to himself.

Amy sat back. "Did he tell you anything about it?" she asked. 

Cream shook her head. "He was scared."

Amy sighed. "Well, maybe the humidity is getting to him."

Cream sighed, clearly not content with the response but also unwilling to fight it. "It's probably that."

From a distance, Amy could hear the familiar hum of an engine. "Ah, that's our cue." She stood and waved as the Tornado 2 flew overhead. "Hey, Tails! Glad you could make it."

Tails looked out of the side of the plane. "Hang on, gotta land first!"

Amy nodded and watched as Tails touched down nearby. "Sorry," she said. "I forgot that the engine can be loud sometimes."

Tails unbuckled his belt. "That's alright, I know what you said anyway. Or at least, what you were trying to say." He stood up and leaned behind him. "Hey, do you need help getting that off? I know that one gets stuck sometimes."

"No," someone replied. "I can get it off. Maybe..."

Tails climbed over and gently wrestled with the restraint, all the while blocking Amy's view of the guest. "Don't fight it, otherwise you'll get tangled."

As the belt unclicked, Tails jumped into the air and hovered. "Amy, I'd like you to meet a new friend, Bastette."

As the guest rose over the wall of the cockpit, Amy got a good look at her. She was an orange cat with a matching long-sleeved maroon crop-top and long skirt that wavered in the breeze. Her eyes were crimson and her hair was pulled up into a long ponytail. She bore only a slight smile, no doubt attempting to not appear nervous at the sight of strangers.

"Hello," she softly spoke. "I've heard so much about all of you from Tails. He's a regular where I work." Bastette took Tails' hand and the fox gently lowered her to the ground. She gently brushed the dust from her cream-colored collar fur. "Likes to look around at all my stuff."

Amy nodded and offered her hand. "Well, I'm Amy Rose, and this is Cream and her Chao friend, Cheese."

The cat grinned and firmly shook her hand. "It's good to meet all of you. Is this the whole party?"

"Yeah, where did the others go?" Tails asked.

"Oh, right," Amy said. She brought her thumb and forefinger together and curled her lips around where they joined before blowing a loud whistle. "Soup's on, boys!" she called.

As the echidna ran over, he spotted the guest and gave her a grin. "Who's this?" he asked.

The cat smiled. "Just another treasure hunter looking for adventure. I'm Bastette."

"Treasure hunter, you say," Knuckles said, his voice slightly wary. "You wouldn't happen to specialize in gems, would you?" he asked.

"Hardly," Bastette replied. "I'm an academic grave robber, not a petty jewel thief. Rocks aren't as nice as terra cotta. I won't say no for the right price, but I don't find rocks to be a rewarding hunt."

Knuckles sighed in relief. "Well that's good to hear at least."

Bastette flashed him a grin. "I take it you've had your fair share of meddlesome thieves trying to steal something from you?"

"Cat's got more than sharp claws," Knuckles replied nervously.

"Why thank you," Bastette said with a wink. "But I wouldn't call it that. I've taken years to study by the seat of my own whip."

Tails grinned. "You can see why I took interest in her."

"I'd love to explain what I told Miles over lunch. But first, where is your... other friend? He hasn't ditched the party, has he?"

"I sure hope not," Amy said. "He'd get more than an earful."

Then, with a sudden streak of blue, Sonic came hurtling in. He quickly stalled in front of all of them. "Knuckles, the frisbee got stuck in the tree, and... oh!" He paused as he looked at the new arrival. "Didn't know she was already here. Good of you to drop in, Tails."

The fox grinned. "I brought her with. Sonic, meet Bastette."

Sonic looked her up and down, noting the details of her choice of clothes. "Good to have another friend around."

Bastette pursed her lips and leaned towards her regular customer. "Tails, is he always this..."

"...fast?" Tails asked. "Yeah, it's sort of what he does."

"Hmmm," Bastette said. She began reciprocating the earlier elevator glance the hedgehog had given her before. "You're quite the curiosity, aren't you?" she said, eyes locking onto his.

Sonic chuckled nervously. "Let's... go eat."

Bastette smirked, content with her small victory. "Yes, let's."

As they sat down and Amy fished out the sandwiches, Bastette cracked her knuckles and pulled out her notebook from her knapsack. "Tails called me in as there was recently a disturbance near the south of Prison Island."

"Prison Island?" Sonic asked. "Isn't that place destroyed?"

"Well, yes, it should have been destroyed, but Bastette here was around after the dust settled following the ARK incident," Tails said.

The team looked up into the sky momentarily as Bastette continued. The thought of what had happened made them all shudder, especially at the proposition of what could have gone wrong.

"I scavenged the ruins of the site for all sorts of things, but what I found was honestly quite shocking..." the cat said. She carefully fished out a tube from her bag. "This."

Tails looked at it. "It's an empty tube."

"Not just a tube- it's a modern model, lab safe, able to handle hundreds of degrees before shattering. This was buried deep in the bowels of the ruined base."

"Maybe there was another prisoner who used it?" Knuckles suggested.

"Not likely," Bastette said. "There are trace amounts of DNA on this, and it's something I've never seen before. I think it's blood."

"And how exactly are we supposed to help you with this?" Sonic asked. "A curiosity is a curiosity, but not a need for alarm."

Bastette tilted her head and pointed to a particular symbol of a goofy, smiling, mustached face. "Does this remind you of anything?"

"Eggman," the others breathed in unison.

Cream sighed. "I had the feeling that something wasn't right... didn't expect this to just be a picnic..."

Amy set her hand on Cream's shoulder and handed her a sandwich. "Don't worry, Cream. We're all here, we can keep you safe."

Bastette sighed. "I remember when the ARK incident happened. My sister was terrified. I did my best to comfort her, but I was frightened, too. Fear like that is seldom an experience people get to endure." She turned to Tails. "I've heard tell that Robotnik's up to his antics again, but I don't have a lot of information to go on. But since you knew I went through an urban exploration of the place where the tremor hit, you figured I might have some idea of what might be happening."

Tails nodded. "And we have no idea how he would have gotten into there to plant that or why he'd plant that in the first place. Well, unless it had to do with..." he trailed off.

The others looked at him.

"Do you think this might have to do with Shadow?" he asked.

"Shadow?" Sonic asked, sitting up slightly from his spot against the shady tree. "Why would he need blood?"

"Well, the Black Arms incident dug up some disturbing revelations, as did the ARK incident. You'd think that maybe Gerald would have a hand in this?" Tails wondered. "He was a biologist after all..."

The team searched for an answer as their eyes darted along the blades of grass.

Bastette took a bite from her sandwich. "I don't know too much about his tactics, but I want my family to be safe" Her eyes glazed over a little bit as she looked towards the ground. "My sister... she means the world to me."

Sonic grinned. "Well, I guess then we need to kick things into high gear, don't we?"

"Huh?" Bastette said. "You want to fight against whatever he's planning?"

Knuckles nodded. "Hopefully we can nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand." He looked up at the frisbee in the tree. "But can we talk about it after lunch. We've barely eaten anything and we shouldn't think on an empty stomach."

Tails nodded. "Knuckles is right." He looked up as the echidna stood and walked over to the tree. "What are you doing?"

"I wanna continue playing frisbee, and Sonic lodged it in the branches." He looked at the stable trunk of the tree and cast his eyes to the neon of the disk. "I can probably punch it out."

"And risk downing the tree?" Amy said. "You're crazy! That's our shade."

"Well, do you have a better idea?" Knuckles said, fist already ready to go.

"I could get it down from the tree myself," Tails said, standing up. "No reason to destroy a tree, Knuckles."

"You already flew us here, Tails," Bastette said, grabbing his shoulder and rising. "You shouldn't tucker yourself further."

"Bastette, you don't need to concern yourself with that, you're the guest," the fox replied. 

"It's fine, I promise," Bastette replied. "Besides, it isn't always that I get a good audience." She walked up to the echidna. "You shouldn't worry yourself so much with that- your claws might be strong, but you need precision to your power."

Knuckles could feel steam building up between his ears. "And that's supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said. Carefully, she placed her forehead against the smooth trunk of the tree. "I just figure you can't be gentle." She gently tapped the sides of it, watching where the leaves shook the most. She grinned and swiveled around the tree a bit until she settled on a spot. Carefully, she place her thumb on the tree and then turned to the echidna.

Knuckles frowned. "I can be gentle!"

"With those spikes? You'll punch a hole in the tree. Plus you won't get it out the first punch."

Knuckles crossed his arms. "Then you try, lady!"

"Alright," Bastette breathily replied, conking her head into the spot where her thumb previously was. Almost immediately, the frisbee fell square on the echidna's head.

"See?" she said as she cracked her neck. "Piece of cake."

Sonic chuckled. "Looks like you got a competitor, Knuckles. She's giving you a run for your money."

Bastette proudly smirked. "I bust open tombs with this baby. Never had a concussion though, so that's sorta strange."

Sonic nodded. "Well now we can play frisbee after sandwiches. Knuckles, do you wanna..."

Sonic sat up as his ears flicked. "Do you hear that?"

A low buzz resounded from above, growing louder and louder, until at a moment's notice, a hornet's nest dropped on top of Sonic's head and covered him in stinging insects. 

Amy picked up Cream and threw her over her shoulder in a blind panic, and Tails swooped in to pick up Bastette. "Guys, get outta there!" he yelled.

"Cheese!!" Cream shouted. "Amy, we have to go back to get him!"

"Not a chance, not when you could get stung!" Amy said.

Sonic swatted left and right as he reached Knuckles and Cheese. The little Chao clung to the echidna's leg and cried, but was doing his best to handle the stings well. 

"Knuckles, get out of here!" Sonic said, wincing at the stings.

"I can't just leave you and Cheese here," Knuckles said.

Sonic looked to his arm, where several of the hornets were resting and stinging him over and over again. The pulses made his blood boil, and he wasn't sure why they wouldn't have let go by now. But between the two teens, Knuckles was getting stung a bit more than him, and it was more clear on the echidna's face that he wasn't taking to it too well.

Then the blue blur got an idea. "Knuckles, ready to play?"

"Are you serious?" he said. "At a time like this?"

Sonic nodded. "I'll go long, you throw Cheese over."

Knuckles put a stinging palm to his face as he picked Cheese off of him. "It's gonna be alright, buddy, we'll get this over with." This better work or else...

Sonic dashed forward and over the nearby hill, readying the catch. "Alright, go!"

Knuckles quietly whispered sorry as he threw Cheese at high speed over to Sonic who, after outrunning most of the hornets, matched the velocity and caught the Chao in his arms. Then, carrying him over to Cream, he fell over, and the remainder of hornets departed.

The cloud surrounding Knuckles dissolved as well, leaving the echidna on all fours and panting. His eyes were wide and though he forced himself to walk upright, he could only walk to the rest of the group gathered near the Tornado before falling over and passing out.

* * *

Tails frowned as he looked at the silver hornet in his hand. It was unruly and very angry, but the way it was gripped prevented a sting. "I've never seen a robot so small," he said. "Okay, maybe that isn't entirely true, but I'm not sure why these would be used."

Bastette looked at it from next to him. "It appears to have the same logo as that capsule," she said, eyeing it carefully. "Is this another attack?"

"If it is, I don't know the purpose of it. It's too small to do any real damage, and it doesn't look to have anything toxic inside, but--"

Tails sharply winced as it broke from within his hand, covering his glove in a crimson stain. "Is that..."

Bastette nodded. "That's blood."

"But what would Eggman need with blood?" he asked. He hovered over to his cockpit and opened his seatside compartment to slip on his spare gloves. "Especially such a small amount as that?"

Bastette nodded. "Surely if he'd wanted to take blood..."

Tails' breath hitched in realization. "He had a whole hive of those things. He got plenty."

Sonic struggled to break from sleep, and Tails jumped down to greet him with water.

"Wha...What happened?" Sonic moaned. "Am I dead? Are the hornets gone?"

Tails nodded. "They're gone, but those weren't hornets."

"Then what were they?" he asked.

Knuckles shot up and yelled. "The Master Emerald!" he shouted.

Everyone turned their attention to him including Sonic, who was still in a groggy daze. "What?" Amy asked.

Knuckles shakily stood up. "I have to get back immediately!"

Sonic stood up, walking with the proficiency of a newborn deer. "Knuckles, you're still woozy, let me--" He fell forward and landed face-first into the grass.

Tails gingerly held Knuckles' shoulders as he strained to lift him on his feet. "We gotta get you to the Tornado fast."

Bastette grabbed his legs to lessen the weight Tails had to bear, Cream hugged a still-unconscious Cheese, and Amy very quickly threw Sonic over her shoulder.

"Ugh, thanks Amy," Sonic said, still half-drowsy.

"You can thank me later, we have work to do."

As Tails lifted Knuckles into the cockpit, Bastette pulled the corners of the blanket in on all of their stuff and slung it over her back. "I hope this isn't always how it's gonna be," she said. 

Tails chuckled. "Perhaps when the situation isn't quite as dire, we can relax. Right now, we have an island to save."

"Right," Bastette said, looking down into the blanket's contents through a slight fold gap in the top. She took note of the empty tube she'd shown them before, and then down into the blanket, where the hive lay resting, a slight buzz humming from within. "Though you may want to speak to me as soon as we get back from that."


	3. All Bets Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As an intruder attempts to break the Master Emerald, he decides to test out his new powers of a mysterious stone. Caught in the midst of a battle, he uses the stone to awaken the nightmares of those he's ensnared.

The evening air breathed sweet on the hooded figure. The sky, slowly fading to a gentle tangelo, was filled with light and wispy clouds. The stranger hung his head as he looked over the area guarded by the shrine, shaking lightly as he clicked his teeth.

“It’s such a shame, such noble heritage, such a fine culture,” the calm voice chimed. “I only wish it would last a moment longer. But alas…”

He pulled his cloak away and laid it on the cliff. The stranger appeared to be a hedgehog, or at least somewhat. His violet quills were incredibly short on him, and the lock-like spines that framed his stoic cheeks hung down and swayed gently in the summer breeze. His eyes were blue both in hue and expression, and he had every reason to be such.

He looked down to the pouch on his leather belt and fiddled with the latch. “Now to see what you do,” he muttered. Gently, he drew from its containment a peculiar blue-black stone. His gentle gaze examined it as the hedgehog unhooked the lid of the canteen on his other side. “I’d hate to have come all this way for you to disappoint me.” 

With a pinching motion and a slight narrowing of his eyes in concentration, he drew the water out of the canteen and pooled it beneath his feet. “Well, onto my duties.”

He kicked off the ground and the water held his weight as he drifted down to the shrine. The sight of it was truly beautiful as the sunset painted the resting place of the Master Emerald in a contrasting gold. The pillars and marble stairs that lead up to the highest point caught each beam like fire to parchment, and though the embers seemed frightening the most, the hedgehog knew he had little to fear.

As he took his first steps, he held the gem to his chest and sheathed the water back in the canteen. “Seven chimes, call me back to the place before,” he muttered.

A ripple of cold wind hit him as the air swirled in discontent around him. Before him stood a young girl, an orange echidna begging her father not to harm the shrine. Flames surrounded the area, and the sounds of booming war drums reverberated from above.

The hedgehog sighed. “Such a pity,” he said, and with that he walked further and further up the stairs. “War and greed, two poisons to be cleansed.”

The echoes followed him up the stairs, a series of blurred reddened faces of echidna after echidna passing a torch with each step. Several score of solemn glowers looked towards the peak of the Shrine, where the radiance of the Master Emerald awaited its careful watch.

The intruder stepped onto the landing, where the Emerald lay unguarded, surrounded by a still pool of water. The spectral memories faded back into the light of the evening sun, and the hedgehog breathed as he came back to the world he’d known before.

He looked upon the Emerald, whose facets left his face in pieces. He caught a few details- an eye, a nose, a part of the browline- but most of the bigger picture was obscured by the static and unchanging edges of the giant gem.

The hedgehog sighed. “I didn’t expect you to wax romantic,” he spoke to the Master Emerald. “I expected you to face your inevitable fate with a little more poise and control, not with dramatics.”

No response, for obvious reasons.

“Fine, if you’re going to act like that, I won’t even bother asking you questions,” he said. He leaned forward with his palm open. “Waste of my time…”

A watery tendril wrapped around the hedgehog’s arm and flung him down the stairs. Quickly, the intruder pulled the water from his canteen again and caught himself midair before searching for his assailant.

A creature made of water-like energy stood at the top of the flight, glaring at the intruder with its haunting green stare. Its elongated arms were locked in a crook and its stance was wide. It made a sound like an ocean brine lapping the shoreline, and launched a jet of water at the hedgehog.

The intruder retorted with a flick of his wrist, a gesture that scattered the stream into thousands of tiny beads. He twisted his wrist and bit and smirked as they all froze in the air and crystalized as they hovered. Then he, with caution but also a heap of assurance, stepped forward slowly.

“So you’re Chaos, aren’t you? This shrine’s original guardian? Did you really have your job stolen away from you by a monotreme?” he said. “How embarrassing.”

Chaos narrowed its eyes and widened its stance even further.

“You’re barking up the wrong water spout if you think I’m going to just leave,” he said. He flicked his wrist forward, sending dozens of ice pellets careening towards the First Guardian. As they quickly descended, Chaos spread its arms out and began catching the waves of them. But in its haste to protect the Emerald it couldn’t get all of them, and some of the artificial hailstones struck the giant gem.

Chaos huffed and jumped from its perch atop the shrine, landing squarely on the ground only a small distance from the intruder. Though the eyes remained the same color, they almost appeared to have a glint of red trapped behind that, and Chaos’ widened posture assured that the hedgehog received the correct message.

But deafened eyes gave way to sly smiles as the hedgehog bent his ankle slightly to the side, producing a short pop. “Like I said, I’m not going to leave, not until I do what I’m supposed to do here.”

Chaos lunged forward with intent to reach the intruder but paused as the hedgehog held up the darkened stone. Its eyes went cold and glazed over for a second, and the hedgehog moved out of the way. “Not so tough are you?” he said.

Chaos quickly turned and broke through the haze. It stared at the hedgehog, unmoving.

The sound of static sharply stung the intruder’s ears. He pulled the communicator from his belt and held it up. “Why are you contacting me now? Can’t you see that I’m busy?” he asked.

The voice of Robotnik greeted him at the other end of the line. “You should be done with that pesky Emerald by now, Sylphic. What are you doing?”

Sylphic pulled back from a forward swipe. “You said nobody would be here, Ivo. Nobody!”

“Well, was I wrong?”

“Yes, _very_.”

Sylphic groaned as one of Chaos’ arms slammed into his chest at full force, knocking the wind from his lungs and the gem from his hands. He flew towards the Shrine this time, directly into one of the pillars. As his back slammed against it, he felt a crack in his spine and he flopped forward onto the ground.

Chaos approached and gripped the hedgehog around the neck. Eyes reddened in anger, its grasp on its assailant slowly became tighter. Sylphic floundered, fumbling for the canteen, but Chaos knocked it out of its lodging. As it clattered down the stairs, Sylphic’s eyes panickedly looked the angry guardian in the face.

“I d-didn’t… want t-to d-do this…” Sylphic muttered between gasps.

Chaos heard the sound of an engine above and turned its head to see a plane flying, a familiar red figure waving from the plane and shouting soon following close behind the roar of the vehicle. The First Guardian’s eyes widened in seeming relief, but that relief was short lived as a strange aura emanated from behind him.

Sylphic’s eyes had lit up a bright blue and he was no longer laboured in his breath. “Mind if I _cut_ in?” he said, knocking his hand through Chaos’ watery appendage. The water broke apart like glass, releasing Sylphic and dropping him onto his feet.

Chaos took a step back. Its arm was frozen at the breaking point, and the frost was slowly progressing further up its arm. It looked at Sylphic, who now held a hand glowing with a blue aura up towards it.

“Quite the astonishing creature, you are,” Sylphic said, glowing eyes streaking as he stood up. “It’s such a pity that this isn’t going to end well for you.” He curled his fingers closer to his palm, and the frost progressed to Chaos’ legs and shoulders. “Give me a good reason to make this painless.”

Chaos only stared at him.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Sylphic said. “The Great and Powerful Chaos, begging?”

The sound of the engine ceasing upon touchdown made his stomach drop.

“No, _stalling_ ,” Sylphic said, flicking his hand to the side as he turned in disgust. Chaos let out a watery shout as it froze up trying to reach Sylphic with its free hand.

Sylphic rolled his eyes and stared at the guardian. “It’s a few hours, you’ll thaw out, drama queen.”

“Hey!” a voice shouted. “What business do you have so close to the Emerald?”

Sylphic glanced over to the red echidna who had spoken. “I don’t know, mind explaining why you left your post?”

Knuckles walked forward. “That’s none of your business.”

As the gang dismounted from the plane, Sylphic took note of the motley crue. “You’ve got quite the array of party members. I’m impressed. Friends won’t exactly help you in a situation like this, though.” He picked up the hunk of ice that he’d broken himself free of with his powers and clenched his fist, melting it back into water and leaving a trail of steam puffing into the air. “Now, which one of you wants to die first?”

Bastette ran out and held her arms out. “Please, that’s enough!”

Sylphic looked at her in silence for a moment. “I see the cat finally stopped being so frightened,” he said, reaching for his communicator. He pressed down on the black button and held it to his face. “Commence extraction of payload in exchange for… _her_.”

“Good timing,” Robotnik replied. From over the cliffside, Eggman hovered in his egg-shaped craft, grinning wide as he held a small cat girl by her overalls.

“Briar!” Bastette shouted. “Give her back, please!”

“First, the goods,” the doctor replied.

Bastette closed her eyes and walked towards the plane. “Please, just let her go.”

Tails turned to her. “Bastette, you did this? You set--”

A small tide of water blocked his path and sharpened to an ice spike next to his throat. He backed up carefully.

“Don’t interfere,” Sylphic bellowed.

Sonic twitched his leg, ready to dash forward, when a sharp scream sounded from Tails. He turned, and several spikes had now surrounded him, all within an inch of his neck. “Tails!” Sonic shouted.

“Don’t make a move,” Tails said. “I know you want to but…”

As Eggman moved in closer with his hovercraft, Sylphic looked at the blue hedgehog. “Funny, I never thought I’d have _you_ in my origins.”

Sonic fumed. “Shut your mouth.”

Bastette came forward, holding the metal beehive in her hands. Nervously and with eyes down, she held the nest close to her chest. “Drop her first. She’s just a child, she doesn’t deserve this.”

Eggman scoffed. “And why should I honor your wishes?”

“Because she’s all I have left after the Black Arms incident, that’s why!” Bastette yelled. Her voice ripped through the air like a zipper. “ _They took everything from me, and I’m not about to lose her too.”_

The doctor thought for a moment before unceremoniously throwing the girl over the side of his pod. “Sylphic, take a new hostage.”

The violet hedgehog grinned. “Gladly.”

Sonic yelped as the water melted around Tails and flung itself directly into him. His feet kicked and floundered as he was lifted off the ground. He looked at Sylphic, who genuinely seemed to be taking some enjoyment out of the process.

Bastette dropped the nest, sprang forward and caught her sister mid-drop before rolling across the ground. Her red eyes welled up with tears. “I’m sorry…" she whispered. “I’m so sorry.” Her sister reached her hands forward to wipe her tears.

Knuckles and Tails braced themselves for another fight. As Sonic was wrapped in water chains, he yelled to both of them. “Get the stone!” he said.

Tails scanned the ground for the blue-black stone that Chaos had knocked from the intruder’s hand. He spied it lying out in the open, but as he bounded forward to reach it, a spout of water encompassed it and brought it back to Sylphic’s hand.

“Maybe don’t announce what your friends should do,” Sylphic said, clenching his fist. The chains covered Sonic’s body and expanded into a bubble of water. The air from Sonic's lungs burst out as he was squeezed. “You’ll just get hurt.”

Knuckles dashed forward and went to land a punch on Sylphic. “Give back our pal!” he yelled, enraged.

Sylphic held the stone out to Knuckles. “Seven chimes…”

Knuckles paused with his fist, then dropped his arms down to his sides. “No, no, what is…”

“Do you like it. It's hand-tailored,” Sylphic said.

Knuckles stepped back, eyes widened palms shaking. “What on Earth was…”

“The Echo Sapphire is strong, is it not? How long are you going to be trapped? Only your will lets you decide.” Sylphic turned to face a slowly drowning Sonic, when a rock struck him in the side of the head. For an instant, his grip loosened and the water shrank, allowing Sonic to gasp for a breath.

His eyes turned towards Amy, who had a few more rocks in her hands. He shot her a glare, but her own eyes remained resolute.

_“Get your hands off my Sonic!”_ Amy said, tossing another rock up into the air.

Sylphic grinned. “Hardball, huh? That’s new.”

A swift kick came to the back of the hedgehog’s knees as Tails snuck up from behind. He fell back and hit his head, breaking his concentration and freeing the blue blur from his containment.

Tails grinned. “You alright, Sonic?” he asked.

The blue hedgehog chuckled as he finished coughing up water. “Close call, but hey, at least I’m out.”

Sylphic scowled and pulled the Sapphire to his chest. “Seven chimes... “ he whispered.

“Augh!” Tails said, clutching his head. “N-No, Sonic, I…”

Amy came under its influence as well, sobbing as her eyes glazed over in a waking nightmare

Sonic looked at the two of them. “What are you two doing?” He turned to Sylphic and frowned. “Let go of my friends!”

Sylphic swept his hand over Sonic, icing up his still wet fur and making his legs stick to the ground. “There’s no use struggling,” he said. “Without friction you’ve lost your teeth.” He held up the Sapphire to Sonic. “Now to complete this menagerie. Seven chimes…”

Sonic gasped as he was plunged into a state of panic, overcome by the overwhelming vastness of space outside narrow glass walls.

He was back in the plummeting capsule, falling to Earth. There was no safety though, no Emerald to use, not even the fake one he used the last time. He was locked inside, and even if he got out he wondered if he would even be able to breathe or survive atmospheric entry. And above all, the helplessness of being trapped in the capsule was more overwhelming than the actual event had been.

Sylphic grinned, unpinning Sonic from the ground. The blue hedgehog fell over and laid face down, eyes glazed over in terror. The rest of his friends shook or cried or were left speechless.

“Would you stop showing off?” Eggman said. “Bring that pesky hedgehog along with us. He’ll be more useful than the others.”

Sylphic nodded slowly, coming down from his sadistic high. He pulled his water around Sonic again and carefully built a water platform beneath his feet as well before lifting off. “Yes, _Ivo_ ,” he said coldly.

“And stop calling me that,” the doctor replied, grabbing the beehive and dragging it back to his pod. “I’m a doctor, not a child.”

“I will call you what I wish,” Sylphic said.

“Ugh,” Eggman groaned. He turned to exit with the mystic partner in crime, their new prizes in tow, when he paused. “Right, the reason we came,” he said.

Sylphic sighed. “Yes.”

With his eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed in intense concentration, he flicked one of his fingers. A small shard shot from the water prison Sonic was trapped within and struck the Master Emerald, producing a slow crackle as the fissure spread across the gem at a crawl.

While Eggman laughed, Sylphic frowned, the echo of a scream resounding through his head at the sight of the Master Emerald breaking apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, I urge you to also follow me on my deviantArt page, which is conveniently found in the end notes of Chapter 1. The story is completely done but I wanted to upload here as well since I understand not every does DA for the fics like they do here.


	4. Echoes of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bastette explains her actions and shares what she knows about Sylphic. Meanwhile, Sonic gets up close and personal with the hydromancer and learns that his motivations might not be purely driven by a command from Eggman.

Tails was woken up by the sound of a frightened scream. He hurriedly picked himself off the ground and looked around. “Sonic!”

It was then that he spied Bastette pinned against a wall by an extremely angry Knuckles. Briar as small as she was, clung to the echidna’s foot hoping to make him stop.

“I told you, I had no choice!” Bastette said. “I have to protect my sister, she--”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses!” Knuckles said, punching the wall mere inches from Bastette’s side. She let out a sharp cry as the wall crumbled beside her. “You tell us where they went or else I will personally--”

“ _Knuckles_!” Tails said, putting his hands on his hips. “Put her down.”

“She got our friend kidnapped and the Master Emerald shattered. She didn’t have to go about and--”

“Her sister was being held hostage.”

Knuckles breathed in and set Bastette down. She stood there for a second, eyes widened in disbelief.

Tails gently walked up to her. “I’m sorry, he gets angry pretty easily when this happens.”

Knuckles scoffed and crossed his arms before looking towards Chaos, who stood at the top of the Shrine just staring into the water pool. He carefully walked over to hopefully attempt to comfort it.

Tails sighed. “I can’t believe he did that to your sister, I’m so sorry. But why did he want the blood so bad?” he asked.

“He’s closing a loop in time,” Bastette said. “It’s been an hour or two since you were knocked out and the Island fell, meaning it’s already been done, actually.”

“A loop in time? Why would he send the blood back in time?”

“Because what you said about Gerald was exactly on the mark,” Bastette said. She carefully reached behind her neck. “I have something stuck in my fur, could you get it out? Please?”

Tails walked behind her and carefully pulled out a small blinking device. He played with it between his fingers before holding it to her. “What is this?”

“It’s a communications device that Eggman had on me to keep me from blabbing about what he was doing. If I said anything that could possibly be used to inform you of his plan, he…” she paused and turned to her sister, who had let go of the echidna’s leg and was wandering over towards Cream and Cheese, both of which had hidden themselves during the fight.

“That’s awful!” Tails said. “He’d stoop so low as to hurt someone that young?”

“He’s tried to hurt you when you were that age,” the cat replied. “There are a lot of things he isn’t above doing for the sake of getting his way. As long as he keeps his dignity intact, he will use people like me.”

“What was with that stone?” Tails asked. He remembered the Marquise cut gem that Sylphic had used. “Why did it make me remember those horrible memories?”

“The Echo Sapphire was something I found a long while back when I was first on my hunts. Found it in an ancient tomb in the South. It harnesses memories as weapons, forcing its victims to experience the past in vivid detail.” Bastette blinked. “What did you see?”

Tails held a finger to his chin in thought. “I remembered Sonic getting sent out into space. The despair I felt at watching my closest friend blow up was bad then but… does the Sapphire alter the intensity of that feeling?”

Bastette nodded. “I couldn’t keep my hands on it after the Black Arms incident,” she said. “Too painful of a memory. My parents and my brother didn’t make it out of the building before it crumbled, and… and…”

Bastette bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. “The Echo Sapphire would occasionally go off due to its unstable nature. On those nights, crying myself to sleep wouldn’t even help.”

Tails put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright Bastette, you’re here with us.”

“Your friend has been kidnapped, the Master Emerald is in pieces, and now that the time loop is closed, there’s no way to stop that menace from existing.”

Tails pursed his lips. “Wait, so they needed the blood for whoever that was?”

Bastette nodded. “That creature was made over 50 years ago by Gerald Robotnik while he was stowed away on Prison Island. He had received a mysterious package in the mail containing the blood samples and was informed through the message that his plans for the ARK impact would fail. And he was sent enough blood to handle a test. Plus he had other tools to work with,” she said, her eyes softening in thought.

“So he really wanted his revenge, and Eggman gave it to him,” Tails said, pausing as Briar’s body carefully leaned into him in a hug. “Hey there, kiddo,” he said quietly to her.

Bastette sighed and picked Briar up, carefully hoisting her onto her shoulders. She gently held the little one’s hands and somberly looked to the ground. “He was given three different samples to work with for blood, and from the results, I can sorta see all three.”

“I mean, me too,” Tails replied. “He does have some physical features of both Sonic and Knuckles, though he isn’t as fast or as strong. But you said three? Who’s the third?” He looked towards Knuckles, who was standing next to Chaos, clearly trying to hold a conversation with it despite a clear lack of reciprocation.

“You couldn’t tell?” Bastette said. “With the Chaos Drives Gerald used to expose Sylphic to Chaos radiation, his water powers became intensified. Similar to that of a mutated Chao, actually.”

Tails looked at Chaos and his mouth went slightly agape. “You don’t mean that he’s…”

Bastette nodded. “I couldn’t believe it either.”

“Part Chao? But that shouldn’t be possible, or at least I didn’t think it was…” Tails looked at Briar, who was playing with her sister’s hair. “That’s insane.”

“Insanely dangerous,” Bastette said, gripping Briar’s hands to make her stop. “Who knows what an ability like that could be capable of? Chao can bond with animals, they can bond emotionally with people. They’re constantly volatile creatures. Who knows what sort of information Eggman has been feeding him.”

Tails felt a disgusting lump in his throat. “So how are we going to stop him?”

“What?” Bastette said. “Are you crazy? He wiped the floor with all of you.”

Amy, who’d been bandaging up Cream, cantered over. “That’s not gonna stop us from rescuing our friend! And he’d do the same for us!”

Bastette sighed. “You’re going to your death by pursuing him. I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation,” she said.

“I’ve fought a stronger version of Chaos all by myself,” Tails said. “Can’t be that hard. Besides, I’m not just gonna let my friend stay captured like that.”

Bastette nodded and turned. “Well then I wish you all the luck in the wor--”

“Where are you going?” Amy asked, a bit miffed.

Bastette turned back around to face her. “I’m not going to stay and watch my sister get hurt again. This isn’t a place for her.”

“We need you!” Amy said. “You got us into this mess.”

“What can I do?” Bastette said. “I make problems, not solve them.”

“Then there’s a first for everything,” a gruff voice piped up.

Knuckles was back, Chaos in tow. He placed a hand on Chaos’ shoulder, as the creature was subtly shaking with frustration. “Easy there, buddy,” he said.

Bastette looked down to the ground and backed up a step. “What if I fail?” she asked.

“We won’t,” Knuckles replied.

“But what if--”

“We won’t!” everyone else said in unison.

Bastette was floored by their determination, eyes wide and mouth open, unsure of what direction to take. But in a moment, she nodded and took Briar off her shoulders and resolutely hummed. “Alright, I’ll help but… I have a few ground rules.”

“Let’s hear them,” Tails said.

“First, I need a survivalist pack if I’m going to be helping search for the shards. Mine was confiscated from me,” she said.

Knuckles popped the joint in his neck. “That’s a given, give us a ground rule that's debatable.”

“I need someone to watch my sister. I don’t want her in the crossfire,” Bastette added.

“We can take care of that!” Cream said. Cheese chirped in agreement.

“I…” Bastette paused.

“Come on, Bastette,” Tails said. “You’re in good company here. We don’t have problems with making sure friends are safe.”

Bastette nodded back. “I’m going to need some hired reconnaissance if we’re gonna break your friend out. And some coffee, coffee is… it’s good.”

* * *

Sonic woke to the sound of narrow metal bars clattering to his front. “Ugh, how long was I out?”

“Five hours, twenty-three minutes, fourty-seven seconds,” a calm but chilling voice called. “Pardon, fourty-eight.”

Sylphic was sitting in a chair outside the large high-walled cell, watching the blue hedgehog as he carefully carved a piece of wood with a pocket knife. “You look frostbitten.”

“No, I’m just surprised,” Sonic said. “Any reason why you’ve taken me hostage?”

“Yes, but it wouldn’t be fun to spoil the surprise,” the hybrid replied. “Ivo made it clear to me that he had plans for you, so if I killed you, he wouldn’t be happy, and I wouldn’t have a toy to play with.”

Sonic grimaced. “Didn’t realize you were such a fan, do you need a t-shirt?” he retorted.

“Oh, I don’t need anything like that, but I appreciate the gesture of goodwill,” Sylphic replied. “It’s a shame I have no way to reciprocate.”

“You could let me go,” Sonic said flatly. “There’s a start.”

“I would, but…” he stopped whittling, staring intently at Sonic. “You’re quite the astonishing addition. I want to study you.”

“Study me?” Sonic said.

“Why not? I can pick up your techniques, I can figure out how you get as fast as you do,” Sylphic replied.

“Hey, that’s a trade secret,” Sonic said, crossing his arms.

“How silly of me,” the violet hybrid replied. “I think you misunderstand. I was made with you.”

Sonic furrowed. “What the heck are you talking about?” he asked.

“Bastette wasn’t able to tell you at the time, and you were out long enough that you missed the main event, but we’ve sent the blood samples you and that echidna and that Chao provided. All the way back to the past, where Gerald Robotnik…” he paused a moment, stalled by a stray thought. “Where he made me by using your blood.”

Sonic shuddered. “You’re crazy if you want me to believe that!”

“Believe what you want, hedgehog,” the hybrid replied. “You have no means to escape this prison, not after what we are gonna do to you.”

“Huh?” Sonic asked. “What could you possibly do to me?”

Sylphic grinned and unhooked his canteen. Carefully he reached for his keys to unlock the door. “Be a good boy and don’t make this hard,” he replied.

Sonic sped out of the way as the water shot from the canteen towards him. He ran along the wall and landed on the other side of the cell. “You need to aim better,” he said.

Sylphic sighed. “I wasn’t aiming for you.”

Sonic watched as the water pooled at his feet and forced him slightly upwards before solidifying as a smooth sheet of ice. He tried to move, but failed to find purchase along the floor as Sylphic easily opened the door and locked it behind him.

“Ice isn’t your strong suit, is it?” he said, rolling his shoulders. “I thought you were supposed to be the fastest thing alive.”

“Yeah, when I’m not slipping over like-- woah!” Sonic said, falling over onto one of his arms.

Sylphic stepped forward towards him, the ice de-solidifying and re-solidifying with each step. He pulled out the Echo Sapphire. “Remember this?” he said steam pouring from his mouth in the now chilly cell. “You’re aware of what it does now. So I don’t have to tell you how much fun I’m gonna have breaking you for what you did to the colony.”

“The colony?” Sonic asked. “You mean that whole ARK thing? What has that Egghead put through your head?”

“Oh, no, this wasn’t anything that he said,” Sylphic said. “This is what Gerald made me for.”

Sonic backed up a way and he felt the wall sneak up behind him, and he glanced at the walls, searching for an answer. “How do you plan to break me, exactly?”

Sylphic came even closer and bent down. “I can reactivate every nightmare, every piece of trauma you’ve buried deep down. Everyone has a breaking point.”

“Oh yeah?” Sonic asked. “Well, here’s yours!” The blue hedgehog pulled one of his legs up and kicked the hybrid in the head, knocking him over and forcing him to let go of the Sapphire. He took his other leg and pushed off the wall, sliding across the floor and grabbing the gem before hitting the other wall.

Sylphic pulled himself from the icy floor. “Blast you,” he said.

Sonic looked down to the Sapphire. “Now what was that mantra? Seven--”

“Wait!” Sylphic said, eyes visibly nervous.

Sonic frowned and focused. “ _Seven chimes_ …?”

Sylphic collapsed on the floor, tears spilling from his eyes and freezing on contact with the floor. “I… I couldn’t…” The floor melted under the two of them.

Sonic stood up and walked forward. “Are you okay?” he asked. He hadn't meant to trigger something that was this painful.

Sylphic looked directly at Sonic, tears still flowing. “You made her death mean _nothing_!”

“Huh?”

“She meant _everything_ to me!” The air around Sylphic blew colder, and his glazed eyes appeared almost feral.

Sonic reached for the key around the hybrid’s belt, but the violet hedgehog gripped his arm.

“ _No, you aren’t going anywhere_ ,” he lucidly replied.

Sonic’s arm began to freeze up. ”Whoa, calm down, I--”

“ _You will all pay for what you did to her…_ ” Sylphic bellowed. ”You will _all_ suffer!”

Sonic felt his body ice up all the way up to his chest. His feet desperately tried to move with his legs, but to no avail. “I don’t even know who you’re talking about, guy!”

Sylphic stared directly at the blue blur. “You never knew her but _I_ remember her. I’m _haunted_ by her face, by what happened. And I’ve been fighting ever since—“

“I don’t know who you’re talking about! Sonic said.” He felt a crack as the ice slowly broke from his right leg, and while he had hope for a moment, he hissed as it refroze. “I don’t know who you mean when you say “her”.”

Sylphic’s body trembled, and he buried his eyes into his hands. “She meant… _everything..._ ”

“ _WHO_?” Sonic yelled, panicked that the frost was beginning to approach his face. “Is this about the _ARK_? _About Ma--_ ”

The hybrid looked at him as his tears froze and hit the ground like marbles. He clenched his fists and screamed, and as he did, Sonic shouted as his face was coated over with ice.

“ _MARIA_!!”


	5. Double-Dealt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Bastette begins planning with the Team, the reinforcements that she asked for arrive, and her mentioning of Gerald catches the attention of one of the joining duo in particular. Meanwhile, Sylphic begins seeing something strange and inconsistent about Eggman's plans, and begins to question the Doctor's loyalty to his grandfather's wishes.

Tails set a glass of apple juice on the coffee table for Briar. “There, that should keep you busy.”

“Thank you, mithter,” Briar said with a slight lisp. “Thank you for rethcuing me too.”

Tails chuckled and held a hand to his head. “Heh, it was nothing.” He turned as Amy came back from the other room, having changed into something a little less casual and a little more sporty.

“That’s a new look,” Tails said. “Is that a skort?”

Amy nodded. “I don’t think that fighting in a short dress would be helpful.”

Tails nodded. “I just hope you’re comfortable- it’s hot out.”

“We’re going inside a building,” Amy said. “I doubt Robotnik wants to cook in a tin can, so it’s probably air-conditioned. Plus, you saw how that purple hedgehog fought. Bundling up even a little bit would help.”

Tails pursed his lips and held a finger to his chin in thought. “You’re right. We don’t want to be caught without some way to stay warm. He froze over Chaos, he could probably freeze us over too.”

Knuckles barreled through the door with Bastette, a modest amount of Emerald Shards in hand. “Okay, so…” Knuckles paused as he took a breather. “Bastette and I located at least half of the shards. We need to take a break and get Sonic outta there.”

Bastette nervously looked to the floor.

Tails frowned. “Bastette what did you tell him?”

Bastette winced. “I didn’t want to explain what they’re doing, Tails! I didn’t wanna!”

Knuckles sighed. “It was better that you not sugar-coat it. I’m just surprised that he’d be willing to go all out like that.”

“Like what?” Amy asked.

Bastette sighed. “He’s going to try to keep your friend, either for the sake of keeping his plans from failing or to… experiment with his mind.”

Tails bristled at the thought of it. “So they’re going to brainwash him?”

“Yeah,” Bastette said. “I guess that’s one way to put it. But they’re going to break his spirit first.”

“Yeah, good luck with that one,” Knuckles scoffed. “He’s as stubborn as they come.”

Amy admitted the same. “You’d be surprised how troublesome his stubbornness can be.”

Bastette sighed. “I shouldn’t have tricked you like that. It wasn’t fair to--”

Tails put a hand on her shoulder. “Stop that, you were forced to do that stuff.” He looked over to Briar. “You know you didn’t want to do it.”

Bastette frowned. “I’m just really angry at myself, okay?”

Tails walked over to the counter and grabbed another glass. “Here, come have some juice, you’re probably tired.”

The team gathered around the island counter in the kitchen and began discussing the break in. Tails began by sketching out the general shape of the gate. Bastette nodded but sighed. “You don’t know what it looks like on the inside, do you?”

“Of course not, I haven’t been in there,” he replied.

“Lemme help,” Bastette said. Carefully, she took the pencil from Tails and began plotting out the twists and turns of the facility. “Its layout is made to be intentionally confusing so as to take as much time as possible, but…” She stuck out her tongue a little bit as she continued. “If I remember correctly, the prison should be over… here.”

Tails looked at the diagram. “How long were you in there?” he asked.

“Three weeks,” Bastette plainly replied. “Let’s not dredge that up right now.”

The team nodded at her request.

“So Sonic should be around there? There’s at least five walls between the exterior and the cell,” Knuckles said. “Normally my punches would suffice, but I don’t think we’re gonna just stumble upon him normally in there.”

“You’d be correct,” Bastette said. “It’s possible he’s being held elsewhere, or he’s been detained in a dangerous manner that wouldn’t suit that sort of entry. That’s why I asked about the recon team.”

Tails grinned. “I think we have just the duo for us.”

Amy’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re not talking about Mr. Mopey are you?”

“What did you call me?” a voice sounded from behind.

The team looked over to see a pair of semi-friendly faces greeting them. Shadow raised an eyebrow at Amy, and the white bat, Rouge, greeted the young cat with a firm handshake. “I heard tell of a particular... “prize” for the effort.”

Bastette turned to Tails. “You didn’t tell her about it, right?”

Tails shrugged. “Sorry, sometimes it’s hard to reason with her without a bribe with gems.”

Shadow, who’d spoken before, rolled his eyes at Rouge’s interest. “We’re doing this because they helped us during the Black Arms incident. Otherwise I won’t hear the end of it from that blue son of a--”

“Bastette,” the cat said, tactically cutting off Shadow’s mumbling. “The pleasure is all mine. I hope you don’t mind me getting to the point, but time is of the essence.”

Shadow nodded and followed her forthright manner. “How long has he been gone? And what kind of opponent are we dealing with?”

Knuckles crossed his arms. “A hydromancer by the name of Sylphic.”

Shadow nodded as he made mental notes. “Any weaknesses?”

“I’m not sure,” Tails said.

“Well, how are you going to find an opening if we can’t fight him?” Shadow asked. “We can’t just prance around not knowing how to approach.”

“It isn’t that,” Bastette explained. “He’s a hybrid, made in a lab.”

“ _I’m_ a hybrid, made in a lab. That’s nothing new.” Shadow scoffed. “Rouge, this is clearly above our pay grade, let’s go.”

“But there’s a Sapphire I could get my hands on!” Rouge replied.

“You can find sapphires at the store downtown, no need to endanger yourself. Especially with so little information to go on.”

Tails scanned the floor, searching in his mind for an answer. He had to think of something fast, otherwise he feared that Sonic would be lost forever. The mere thought of it made his stomach curdle, and In a moment of pure desperation, he spoke up.

As Shadow placed his fingertips on the brass doorknob, Tails squeaked his answer.

_“Gerald made him.”_

The black hedgehog let go of the door. “Excuse me?”

“Gerald made him,” Bastette said, backing Tails up. “He made him 50 years ago.”

Shadow looked around the floor. He was clearly at odds with himself about something but the rest of the gang wasn’t exactly sure what. “There’s no way he could have, he was imprisoned not long after I woke up. He wouldn’t have the resources to--”

“He had help, someone sent him blood samples.” Tails gestured to an open seat. “You might want to settle in for this.”

Shadow cautiously climbed onto the seat. “You have my attention.”

As Bastette explained, Shadow’s face slowly turned from annoyed to intrigued. Tails carefully pushed a juice towards the black hedgehog, who didn’t even hesitate to take a sip in his interested state.

Rouge was deeply concerned. She’d never seen Shadow interested in something to this degree, but she supposed that if it involved his creator, it had to be important to him.

“And that’s about all I know,” Bastette finished. “Are… you okay?”

Shadow nodded. “Yeah, give me a minute.”

The team watched as he shuffled over to the nearby couch and pulled one of the pillows to his face. A muffled scream resounded from within, and Tails and Amy raised their eyebrows especially high. Knuckles and Rouge looked at each other in disbelief that Shadow would be that loud.

“Uh, Shadow…?” Tails asked.

The black hedgehog resurfaced from the plushy pillow and took a sharp breath. “Oh my God, I _knew_ it! I _knew_ there was something else in the facility! I couldn’t have been the only plan he had. There was no way that Gerald _wouldn’t_ have had a backup plan!”

Shadow began pacing and talking to himself, and everybody else, including Briar, watched his strides as he went back and forth. His frown was only at a half mark, and while he was certainly in shock there was the faintest glimmer of excitement behind his eyes.

“So this… thing… he’s made from you and Sonic? And Chao blood too?” Shadow asked, pointing to Knuckles. “How would he have accomplished…” his voice petered out as he clutched his head.

“I… I guess? I mean, that Egghead took blood from us, if that’s what you’re asking.” Knuckles awkwardly looked to Tails. “Geez…”

Rouge walked over and placed a hand on Shadow’s shoulder. “You’re acting strange, Shadow, we’ve never seen you like this.”

Shadow nodded and slowly collected himself. “Alright, I just…” he breathed out. “Wow, I had no idea that was what he was busy with. Did he really think I would fail? Oh, but he wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for that letter.” His shock forced a half-chuckle and for an instant there was a slight upturn along the edges of his cheeks before it dropped again. “Incredible,” he breathed.

“Eggman somehow managed to get the package from our time to the past,” Tails said.

“Then that means he likely has some means of getting to the past, perhaps a Chaos Emerald,” Shadow replied, walking back towards the counter. “Though I doubt one would be enough.”

“I saw two of them there,” Bastette said.

The rest of them locked their gazes onto her, and she awkwardly scrunched her body inwards, emotionally shrinking at their stares.

“Two?” Rouge asked. “How did that happen?”

Bastette nervously chuckled. “I might have had one, and he might have had the other.”

Knuckles’ eyes widened, and he stood up for a moment. “Wait a minute, you said you didn’t do gems!”

“I said I didn’t _normally_ do gems, but I would for the right price. That price was my sister,” Bastette spat back. Her eyes were on fire, intent on expressing the poor choice of words the echidna had declared.

“Oh, uh…” Knuckles looked away, clearly embarrassed by the mistake. “I forgot. Sorry.”

Shadow tapped his fingers on the countertop. “That still doesn’t solve our problem of what exactly can stop this new creature. I mean, no discernible weakness, no real means of making certain that we can neutralize him…”

“Is it still above your pay grade?” Tails said flatly.

“Yes, I’m afraid so…” Shadow replied.

The Team frowned in unison and turned their gazes away.

“I wasn’t finished,” Shadow said. “It might be above my pay grade but it isn’t out of my depth. If we can infiltrate the base, you all can go looking for Sonic while I handle that threat.”

Tails grinned.

Bastette’s eyes widened as she anxiously spoke. “But you’ll get hurt, or worse. You can’t just go charging in there like it’s--”

“Hurt? Me? You clearly don’t know who you’re dealing with.” Shadow took his glass and walked around the island counter-top to the sink. “I’m Gerald’s most proud accomplishment short of the ARK itself. If I weren’t strong enough, I wouldn’t have driven Black Doom off a year ago.” He turned on the water and began swishing it in the bottom of the glass.

Bastette looked over to Briar, who was coloring with Cream. The waxy red crayon wasn’t staying on the page though- it was going all over the table, and the couch, and the floor. “It was hard enough losing my family in that invasion.”

Shadow stopped the water and turned to her. “I remember you now.”

Bastette nodded. “I remember you too. You’d tried to keep the building from collapsing, but…”

Shadow paused as he struggled to find the words to say. All he came up with was, “Sorry I couldn’t save them like I did for you.”

Bastette sighed. “It isn’t your fault, you didn’t bring them to the planet.”

“It was a deal between Black Doom and Gerald, and technically because I was given life because of the deal, it was my fault.” Shadow shook his head in an attempt to let bygones be bygones. “But that isn’t what’s important right now. We need a plan of attack.”

Bastette shook herself from her recollections. “R-Right,” she said, leaning forward and marking up the papers. “Alright, let’s get this started. No hitches.”

* * *

“You  _had_ to go and freeze him over,” Eggman said, finicking with the devices on his table. “You  _had_ to lose control.”

“I thawed him out just fine, _Ivo_ , I don’t see why you’re so upset with me,” Sylphic replied. “As long as I don’t kill him we can still get this to work. You should be thanking me for keeping him still.”

“And what about that outburst? You nearly caused a power outage with how violent a burst of wind that was!” Eggman grimaced as he screwed in the last bolt on his device. “What were you  _thinking_ ?”

“I had an accident with the Sapphire,” Sylphic said. “That hedgehog got the upper hand and used it on me.”

“It shouldn’t have had any effect,” Eggman replied. “You were woken from your capsule what, two… three weeks ago?” He swiveled his chair and pulled himself across the floor.

Sylphic sighed as Sonic lay on the worktable, restrained and passed out, weakly breathing. He’d been unfrozen for only a few minutes, and his body was taking its time waking up. His eyes looked troubled still, no doubt from the possible danger associated with being frozen solid.

“You shouldn’t have any memories attached to the past because you’re a newborn,” Robotnik said.

“I _know_!” the hybrid shouted, stamping his foot. “I didn’t think it was possible. But I kept having strange visions." He began to pace back and forth. "The Earth below, the void of space above, the sounds of laughter and happiness, all fading into sirens...”

Eggman pursed his lips. “Maybe Gerald falsified memories like he did with Shadow.”

“Shadow?” Sylphic’s eyes darted about the room as he momentarily lost focus of his surroundings. “That name sounds familiar, who is that?”

“He was Gerald’s first shot at destroying the planet,” Eggman said. “He tried to mask Shadow’s memory of my cousin for the sake of revenge.”

“Your… cousin?”

“Yes, he lived to find a cure for my cousin’s rare illness. When the colony was invaded she died.” Robotnik began the process of applying the devices to Sonic’s head, first by carefully placing tiny disk-like pads against the backs of his ears. “I barely knew her though.”

Sylphic’s hands were shaking. “ _Ivo_ , why am I…”

“Huh?” Eggman said, looking up from his work. “What is it?”

“N-nothing, carry on,” Sylphic said. But as he turned to leave the doctor to his work, he heard the buzzing of a drill and immediately, as though possessed, turned back around. “Wait.”

“What is it now? Can’t you see I’m busy building?” he said.

Sylphic came up to him. “You can’t just drill willy-nilly like that, you’ll end up _killing_ him.”

“Even better,” Eggman said, pulling the drill closer.

“No," Sylphic said, grabbing his arm. "You said you were going to modify him. You need better techniques. I understand you’re used to working on robots, but… a living being isn’t a robot.”

“Robots can be alive!” Eggman said. “What about the ones I have?”

“They are impressive,” Sylphic said. “But they don’t have blood and bones and fur.”

“Suddenly you’re an expert on biology now, huh?” Eggman said.

“I…” Sylphic looked down at his hands for a moment as he felt the feelings of panic fade from him. “I don’t know what this is, _Ivo_ …”

Eggman sighed and turned back to his workbench. “Let me do my work, I can easily patch this up so that I don’t have to drill anything”.

As Sylphic walked away, he pulled the Sapphire from his belt and stared at it. It glistened with malcontent within, and it almost sickened him to look at now that he’d experienced what it could do. Throughout the entire encounter, there was something very wrong about how he’d acted, almost unnatural to his being.

_Am I possessed?_ He wondered.  _Have the ghosts I’ve seen from the stone finally come to haunt me?_

_No_ _,_ he thought, slipping the stone back in its pouch. “That’s not possible, ghosts aren’t real,” he said aloud.

The sound of a rat scurrying across the floor made the hybrid jump. “What in the Sam he--”

His breath weighed heavy as he attempted to calm himself. He wasn’t sure why now of all times he was jumpy. He had no reason to be. Everything was going according to plan, whatever that plan of Eggman’s was.

What plan was that again? The doctor was remarkably slow and seemed to be enjoying his little pet project with Sonic. He seemed to be taking a little too much interest in the blue hedgehog and did seem quite as concerned as Sylphic did about what Gerald had desired.

He rounded the corner and found Robotnik again. “What exactly _is_ your plan of attack from here?” he said quizzically. “If you’re going to destroy the world, you ought to at least have some idea of how you aim to accomplish it.”

“Well, first we have to take care of Sonic’s buddies before we even think about that,” Eggman replied. His voice had faltered a bit.

“Why? Because they foil your plans if you leave them unchecked?” Sylphic asked.

Eggman frowned. “ Precisely . Destroying the world is a long-term goal, Sylphic, not something that can be done within a few days," he said through his teeth.

Sylphic seemed unnerved by the doctor’s decision to be so meticulous. It certainly made sense, but there was something very odd about how he wasn’t even planning a surprise attack on the rest of the blue hedgehog’s crew. He was leaving them open like sitting ducks.

“What are you hiding, Ivo?” Sylphic asked. “You should be launching a strike against his forces first, not tinkering around like this.”

“Well, I figured that neutralizing one threat first would be better than--”

“Than handling several threats?” Sylphic replied. His voice began to rumble with frustration. “You’re going to wait to give people what they deserve? Tell me why you’re so adamant on keeping me around when you aren’t even going to have me be proactive. Tell me why  _you’re_ not being proactive.”

Eggman sighed and turned back around to face him. “Sylphic, you’re too young to understand what I’m planning, and it would take to long to--”

_“I don’t care_ _!_ You are practically making us a target by  wasting time . I could easily contain Sonic while you send your bots out to handle the rest of them.”

Robotnik finished the last electrode and placed it against the hedgehog’s spine. “You are out of line.”

“Am I?” Sylphic said. “Because it seems like _you’re_ not even concerned with your grandfather’s mission. You’re not even keeping your promise to him.”

“I will, I can’t now because I’m busy with--”

“ With what ?”

Robotnik paused, listening as an alarm came on in the distance. He swiveled and pulled up a screen, where a camera picked up the momentary glimpse of a white bat before being rendered non-operational by the woman’s swift kick.

“That’s your cue,” the doctor said. “You’re getting your wish, so leave me to my business.”

Sonic stirred on the table.

Sylphic scoffed as he turned to run towards the threat. “We will be having a long talk later, _Ivo_.” He pulled the water from his canteen and pushed off the floor, riding the water like a surfing wave.  _I get it now. He's made a fool of me._

He stopped for a moment as he passed an open room containing the device they’d used to deliver the package. It was some sort of portal platform, easily capable of tapping into the energy of the cyan and red emeralds that were required to make a gate.

_Then I suppose I'll take it into my own hands to dispose of this planet_.

He surfed over to the control panel and began working with the keys, watching as the mechanisms within whirred. He made note so as to best go about releasing the Emeralds, but when he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, he hurriedly released only the red one and went to grab it.

A strange buzzing crawled up his arm as he touched the Emerald, a feeling likened to the plucking of a guitar string. His brain could barely register what was happening, but he managed to catch a quick flash of light before an intense pain shot through his hand and travelled up to his chest like a slow and agonizing swallow.

He panted, catching his breath as he clutched the patch of white fur on his chest. His wave disappeared as he toppled over onto all fours, and his eyes widened at whatever had happened. “Did I just---”

“I found you,” a low voice called from the other end of the wide room. “I’ve _finally_ found you.”

He turned and glanced upon a silhouette that instantly left him with a void in his stomach as it dropped. The sick feeling he'd felt before returned to him, a feeling that left him nearly speechless.

The words that fell from his mouth, the _only_ words, felt foreign yet all too familiar.

_"Welcome home, Shadow."_


	6. My Brother's Keeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the strike on the base to bust Sonic out is in full swing, Shadow duels with a dangerous enemy and learns a disturbing secret, forcing his hand to set an ultimatum. Rouge learns about this ultimatum and agrees to go with Shadow as backup.

Shadow stood in the doorway as the hybrid turned around.

“Welcome home, Shadow,” he replied.

The black hedgehog looked at him. Though he was taken aback by the strange words, he nevertheless steeled his nerves and advanced.

“So you’re the hybrid Gerald made while he was imprisoned,” Shadow said. “I can see it in you. Using whatever he had at his disposal, rushing with his work to meet a quite literal deadline…”

Sylphic narrowed his eyes. “I’m not a rush job, if that’s what you’re insinuating. I had time to incubate. 50 years, in fact.”

Shadow smirked. “So you’re overcooked then.”

Sylphic scowled. “You abandoned your mission.”

“My mission was incorrect,” Shadow said. “My loyalty was ill-informed. But you wouldn’t even know about that would you? You don’t even recognize that you have rose-tinted lenses because you’re colorblind.”

Sylphic unscrewed the cap on his canteen. “Shut your mouth.”

Shadow, unfazed, continued forward. “What are you doing working for him?”

“He promised Gerald…” he paused for a moment as he clutched his head. “He promised Gerald that he’d fulfill his plans to destroy this place.” He looked away for an instant before continuing. “At least I understand what it means to be loyal.”

“Do you?” Shadow asked. He crossed his arms. “I don’t recall loyalty involving being programmed what to do.”

The violet hedgehog looked at him and sharpened the water into an ice lance. “I don’t want to hear any more from you.”

Shadow sped forward, charging at full speed towards the hybrid. “Have it your way.”

Sylphic clenched his fist and crumbled the lance, reforming it into a wall of ice in front of him. He could play the blocking game easily. Though ice was brittle, he was perfectly capable of making it dense enough to take a hit. But as the wall came up, he watched Shadow blink out of existence for a moment, only to blink back and take a foot to the back of Sylphic’s head.

The violet hedgehog groaned as his face hit his own ice wall and he slid down. A small red streak smeared the bluish frozen wall, and as he looked up at Shadow, he wiped away the blood from his nose.

“Do you really think you can get the upper hand here?” Shadow asked.

Sylphic looked at him with a wild glare. His spines were raised slightly in agitation as he flicked his wrist, forcing a barrage of spikes to shoot from the wall.

Shadow backflipped and caught himself as the ice bullets flew, hissing slightly as one of them grazed his cheek and left a trail of blood. He wiped it with his thumb and stepped forward as it healed over in a matter of moments. “Is this seriously all you have?”

Sylphic’s eyes began to glow. _“Hardly.”_

The ice wall collapsed into water and washed over him, dragging him backward into a bubble. His expression waned from anger into passion as he rose from the floor. Though he was encased in water, he appeared to not have any trouble with his breath. In fact, he appeared to be breathing just fine. He raised his arms, and a pair of tendrils came and whipped at Shadow.

Acrobatically, Shadow took dodge after dodge with them. “You’ve got to be kidding me if you think I’m that weak,” he said.

Sylphic’s eyes burned with a seeming flame as he grinned within his capsule. His voice resounded off the walls. “You might be strong, but you’re stupid,” he said.

Shadow went to dodge one of the tendrils, but grunted as his feet had become stuck to the ground. The floor had been soaked by the missed shots. The water limb came crashing down before tightening to a pair of chains.

Sylphic smirked and began slamming Shadow into wall after wall. “How’s this for weak?” he yelled.

As he held Shadow up to his view, the black hedgehog blinked out of existence again. “Wha--”

Shadow blinked back next to the Chaos Emerald that stood in the machine still. He punched through the glass barrier it was contained in and wrestled it from its lodging before turning back to Sylphic. “Alright, better. Level two, then. Chaos Control!”

Sylphic’s eyes widened as he felt himself slow to a crawl. His focus narrowed to Shadow, who was regularly traversing the walls and diving towards him. As he braced for impact, a hot flash overtook him and he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Shadow hissed as the bubble shattered into hundreds of ice spikes that shot in all directions and pinned him against the wall to Sylphic’s left. He tried to move, but the spike through his stomach spread ice into his body as Sylphic landed.

“I’m going to dispose of you, and then I’ll dispose of the rest of this disgusting planet! I’ll do it for her!” he yelled. As he raised his arms, the walls and floor of the room iced over, including the doorway. “You didn’t respect her enough to follow her wishes, traitor!”

Shadow’s eyes widened. “You knew nothing about her!” he yelled, attempting to move the spike. He heard a small crack from the left side but kept his attention away from it. “You weren’t there…”

Sylphic’s eyes burned feral and he pulled the pouch on his belt open and dug his hand inside. “I knew more about her than you--”

Shadow angrily cracked the spike and lunged at him. “Shut up!” he yelled.

Sylphic wrapped his fingers around Sapphire and gently whispered.

Shadow felt the room grow colder and the darkness descend upon him. He looked about, stunned by the lack of any features within the effect and attempting to figure out where he was. He was still barreling through the air at high speed as he heard the crescendo of a series of shrieking sirens.

He looked forward again, hoping to see his assailant, but only seeing the face of his dearest friend Maria. His eyes widened in surprise. “Maria, why are---”

He caught a tear streaking down his face and immediately knew what this was. He was still hurtling towards her, but he knew it was all a lie. All of it. Maria was gone forever, she didn’t exist anymore.

As he closed his eyes and whispered his apologies, his fist connected with the hallucination and immediately broke him from the nightmare. Sylphic toppled to the floor and struck the other wall before groaning in pain. The ice surrounding them melted away, leaving the hybrid face down in a puddle facing away from the black hedgehog.

His face barely managed to stay off the ground as he looked up at the black hedgehog. “How did you break through? Nobody should be able to overcome the power of the Sapphire,” he said.

“I knew it wasn’t real,” Shadow said, and he walked forward and picked up the Sapphire. “I know she’s gone, and I know that there’s nothing I can do to bring her back. You couldn’t even hope to understand that.”

“No,” Sylphic grumbled. “No, she wouldn’t have wanted…”

Shadow sighed. “You know nothing about her. You woke up a few weeks ago.” He turned to walk away.

Sylphic struggled to stay awake, but kept his head up still. “Maria Robotnik,” he said in a daze. “Born on the Space Colony ARK. Diagnosed with Neuro-Immune Deficiency Syndrome at age 5. Blood Type O.”

“What?” Shadow breathily replied. He’d stopped a few feet from the door. “What did you say?”

“Blonde hair, blue eyes, personality as sweet as the scent of lilacs, the scent of soap she’d beg Gerald to--”

Shadow’s eyes widened. “No, how could you have---”

“Her favorite spot was on the deck with you, staring out at Earth. You both theorized about what it was like since you never had been there, sometimes into the later hours, and Gerald would have to come fetch you two and take you to bed.”

Shadow turned around and looked at him. “Who the _hell_ do you think you are?” he asked, unsure of whether he was supposed to feel anger or shock. “How could you---”

Sylphic looked into Shadow's eyes for the briefest of moments before he rested his head on the ground again. Shadow knew that look, he knew it anywhere.

He took a step back and stared down at the Sapphire in his right hand. “What on Earth was--”

Sylphic spoke up again with a different tone in his voice. “If you’re going to kill me, you better do it fast. I can feel my bones healing up.”

Shadow looked at the Chaos Emerald in his other hand and nodded. “No.”

Sylphic didn’t move.

“If you really want to know the truth, meet me on the ARK. I’ll be waiting there.” Shadow turned back towards the door but kept his eyes on the hybrid. “If you value the truth so much, you’ll be there.”

As Sylphic passed out, Shadow turned the corner through the door and pulled out his walky-talky. “Rouge, do you copy?”

Rouge sounded strained, but she picked up. “No need to use that language with me, Shadow. What is it? Did you find him?”

“I need you to pull some strings for me,” he said.

“Can’t you pull your own strings?” Rouge asked. There was a loud crash in the background intercut with Tails yelling in surprise. “You’re a G.U.N. agent too, you know…”

“I need transportation to the space colony. You know how to handle bureaucracy better than me.”

“Oh? Didn’t you say you, ugh,” she paused. “Didn’t you say you never wanted to go there? Something about never looking back?”

“Circumstances have changed. Just make it happen.”

“Shadow I swear, if this is--”

Shadow clicked the device off and stared back down the hallway, unnerved by the low droning sounds that bounced off the walls. He thought about the sounds of the sirens and stared back at the Sapphire.  __That much from a little gem like this._ _

* * *

Rouge scoffed as her connection to Shadow was cut. “Ugh, the nerve of him.”

Amy threw another swing of her hammer at Eggman’s machinery as Knuckles pitched it towards her. It shattered into pieces and smoke filled the air, but her lungs being finicky with her for a moment was worth the fun they were having destroying the base.

Tails gingerly stood back up, his legs aching as he’d just been thrown by them by a nearby Badnik. “Come on guys, we’re almost through!” he said, fiddling with a device he’d placed on his legs earlier that day. He jumped, and the bands around his ankles flicked downwards and formed a pair of skates.

Bastette carefully made her way to the door when Tails warned her to duck. From above, he kicked a bot out of air before landing on the floor and making a wall stop.

The cat grinned. “Thanks Tails!” she said, reaching the door and beginning her work.

Knuckles grunted as he threw another bot towards the pink hedgehog. “That should be the last of them. “Bastette, are you ready?”

Bastette was feeling at the door. “Alright, I found the spot,” she said, putting her thumb to it. “Barely, with all your banging, that is…”

The Team gathered up as Bastette swung her head against the door, busting it off its lodging and causing it to fall over into the connecting hallway. The cat stood up, wobbling slightly.

“You okay, ‘Tette?” Tails asked. “You just took a 200 ton door to the skull.”

“It’s only a little bit of stars,” Bastette replied. “Maybe a few seconds of pain but that’s a first for me.”

As the dust from the break-in cleared, the team advanced forward, coming upon a shocking site.

Sonic was sitting up alone on the worktable, and his back was turned to them. “Guys…” he hoarsely whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“We came to get you, Sonic!” Tails said. “Why else would we be here?”

Sonic teetered as he stood, and Knuckles ran forward to prop him up. “Easy there, buddy,” he said softly. “We got you.”

Tails looked around at the surroundings. Not a camera or an intercom in sight, not even a monitor. Just the eerie blue glow of the backlights punctuated the sleek walls.

“Let’s get you home,” he said to his friend. “Rouge, do you have any news on Shadow?”

Rouge hesitantly nodded. “He… he took care of the threat and secured the Sapphire.”

“Good, mission complete!” Knuckles said. “Everything’s done then!”

Tails still felt strange, but he was happy to see his friend again. “What happened to you, Sonic? You’re never this sluggish.”

“I don’t know, Tails.” As the echidna slung the hedgehog’s arm over his shoulder, he looked down at his free arm. “I don’t know.”

“At least they didn’t brainwash you,” Tails said.

“Yeah.”

* * *

Sonic sat down and watched the younger girls playing dolls with Cheese the Chao. His head still swirled from whatever had happened to him. All he had remembered was being iced over before waking up.

His eyes darted across the floor. That guy had been so angry, angry over a girl named “Maria”.

“Bingo,” he muttered.

“Huh?” Cream said, turning her head. “Mr. Sonic? Where are you going?”

Sonic shakily stood up and hobbled towards the door. He’d spotted Shadow from the window and knew he had to talk. His dry throat kept him from shouting, so the only instinct he had was to move.

Almost there , he thought.

Rouge nodded as she gave Shadow a cold glance. She held her burner phone up and listened. “Yes, yes I understand,” she said. “Yes, he’s here to confirm it.”

Shadow impatiently tapped his foot. “I take it the general is not pleased.”

“Shh!” Rouge hushed. “Sorry, sir, he interrupted me. Yes, I can vouch for him here.”

Shadow rolled his eyes and turned to see Sonic only a foot from his face. He bristled for a second but settled into a scowl. “What are you doing off the couch?” he asked.

“Geez, no need to show that much concern,” Sonic said. “You busy? Can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked.

“Not exactly the best time,” he said through his teeth. “Go back inside.”

“No way,” Sonic said. “What are you hiding?”

Shadow groaned and picked Sonic up around the waist, hoisting him over his shoulder.

“Hey!” Sonic shouted. “Let go of me!” He began to kick, but a twinge of pain shot through his limbs, forcing them to slack. “Ow, ow!”

“You’ve been badly banged up,” Tails said, standing in the archway to the hall nearby. In one of his hands he held a roll of sports bandages, and in the other he had an ice compress. “You can’t be moving around so much otherwise you’ll exacerbate it.”

Shadow set Sonic back onto the couch. “I’ll come back once I’m done with business outside. Don’t strain yourself,” he said, walking towards the door again.

“Shadow,” Sonic said.

The black hedgehog paused. “What?”

“He said something about Maria. You’re the only one who would know anything about that sort of thing. You wouldn’t---”

“No,” Shadow said. “Not now.” He left the house to go back to Rouge.

“What’s up with him, Tails? He cares enough to carry me back inside, but then he gets as prickly as hedgehogs come! And that’s saying a lot!”

“I don’t know, Sonic,” the fox boy replied, carefully taping up his foot. “Maybe his fight gave him a bad taste in his mouth? I mean, Sylphic was created by the same person as Shadow. I wouldn’t want to fight someone who was practically family.”

Sonic hissed as Tails hit a nerve. “So that guy was telling the truth. But then why was he talking about Maria?”

“Maria?” Tails asked, apologetically slipping Sonic’s socks back on. “The girl who passed away during the G.U.N. raid? Wasn’t Shadow good friends with her?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Sonic said. He looked out to Shadow, who was bickering on the porch with Rouge. She was clearly upset about something, but it didn’t appear to be related to whoever she was talking with on the phone. Her posture and grabbing made him wonder what Shadow had in his possession.

“Sonic?” Tails asked.

The hedgehog brought his attention back to his best friend and chuckled. “Sorry, I was lost for a second there.”

“You were talking about Maria?”

“Oh, right,” Sonic said. “He kept talking about how he was going to make everyone pay. I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean since he was screaming it at the top of his lungs. But he repeated something while he was shouting…”

“Oh?” Tails asked, focused on his continued bandage job.

“Yeah, he said “You took everything from me.” Weird, right?”

Tails paused as his hand hovered with the bandages over his knee. He stared intently through Sonic, not raising his head. “You sure that’s what he said?”

“You don’t forget it when someone screams it at you,” Sonic said.

“Hang on,” Tails said, standing up and walking towards the porch. “I need to figure something out.”

Rouge clicked her phone off. “Well, I just went through five chains of command, but I’ve managed to find someone willing to give you passage, with the stipulation that I have to babysit you. I hope you’re happy.” She reached out to Shadow with her palm up. “Can I have the Sapphire now? You’ve made me wait all this time.”

Shadow grimaced. “I still need it.”

“What for?” Rouge asked. “You can’t need it, you took care of the threat.”

Shadow scowled and held the gem behind his back as she reached for it.

“You… did take care of it, right?” she said.

Shadow turned to go inside.

“ _Shadow!_ ” Rouge yelled.

“What?” Shadow barked. “Are you angry at me now?”

“You let a dangerous enemy escape! How am I _supposed_ to react?” she replied, just as loud. “You are jeopardizing the safety of everyone and--”

“I’m meeting him on the ARK.”

“What? Are you _crazy_? Is that why you asked for the favor?” she asked. She turned around and pulled out her phone as she walked down the front steps into the grass. “Now I’m going to have to cancel--”

_“Don’t!”_ Shadow said. His voice reeked of desperation, and it almost didn’t even sound like him.

Rouge looked back at him, phone in hand still but not yet dialed. His eyes were wide and one of his arms was reaching out towards her, and one of his feet had advanced off the porch towards her.

She closed her phone. “What is this about? The Shutdown? The raid?”

“It’s about… her…” Shadow muttered.

“Oh,” Rouge said, a bit quieter. “Did he say something about her?”

He frowned and sat down on the steps as Rouge approached. “He knew about her, but I only thought he’d know things that Gerald probably implanted into his mind to know. A lot like how he was able to mess with my memory. But then he started talking about things that wouldn’t have even been relevant to his mission.”

“So you want to go up there and meet with him?” she asked. “How do you know he won’t try to kill you?”

“Even if he does, he’ll fail. You know that already though.”

“True,” Rouge replied. “But what makes you trust that he will listen to you?”

“Sometimes you have to go on instinct, but if I’m honest, I can’t trust him.” He turned to the bat. “But that’s why you should still come with.”

Rouge nodded. “Are you sure about this? He could just turn around and tell Eggman what you told him.”

“Maybe,” Shadow said. “But something tells me he is beginning to understand why Eggman wanted him so bad.”

Rouge watched as Tails approached from outside. Shadow took that as his moment to leave. “In an hour?” he asked.

“In an hour,” Rouge replied.

Tails stopped in front of her. “You’re leaving already?”

Rouge sighed. “I’m afraid so, kid. Why?”

“Sonic just told me something that might be of use to you. Well, and of use to me.”

“Oh?” Rouge asked. “And what’s that?”

“It’s hard to explain, but to make a long story short, he said something that made me remember those logs that Gerald had made before he died. You wouldn’t still happen to have access to those, would you?”

Rouge rolled her eyes and dialed her phone again. “I swear this is the last time I do someone a favor tonight without compensation.” She paused as someone picked up on the other end. “Yes, this is Rouge, I’m sorry to have called you back so soon, but I need a piece of information. Yes, I’ll hold.”


	7. Nobody's First Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow confronts Sylphic on the ARK, prompting the latter to learn the truth about Maria's death. Shadow makes a shocking discovery about the hybrid.

“Why do you want to go up to the Colony? There are G.U.N. units there.”

Sylphic looked around the wrecked lab, where the doctor was busy enacting his next phase of whatever plan he had in mind. It was clear his thoughts only appeared frenzied on the surface, and that a serene confidence lurked below in the murky depths of his mind. The facetiousness of the expression certainly ticked Sylphic off to no end given what he suspected of Eggman, but nonetheless he kept his composure.

“I want to take the Chaos Emeralds up there to reactivate the Eclipse Cannon,” he said. His chest throbbed for a moment.

“You want to… what? Wasn’t that destroyed?” Eggman asked. “No, wait, G.U.N. patched that up during the incident with Black Doom…” He turned around and tapped his foot. “That’s fine, I’ll go with and--”

“No!” Sylphic yelled.

Eggman pursed his lips. “What is it?”

“I mean,” Sylphic said, trying not to give himself away. “You said it yourself- there are units up there. Given that you’ve managed to properly get your work done on that blue pincushion, you should focus on that next part of your brilliant plan.”

“But won’t the collision program just reactivate? I’m not exactly ready to die along with everything on the planet,” Robotnik replied.

“If you’re adamant on keeping your life, then you can build a program to properly utilize the cannon and disable the protocol,” Sylphic said. “Is that so hard? You’re the greatest scientist in the world, even you should be able to manage that.”

Eggman frowned, a little annoyed with Sylphic’s tone of voice, but he quickly pulled himself together. “I mean, I suppose it’s best to gather the rest of the Emeralds then, isn’t it?” he suggested. “But wouldn’t you be better suited for that?”

Sylphic thought for a moment. “No,” he responded. “You have someone faster at your disposal. Did you forget that, too?”

“Of course I didn’t forget that, I just figured you’d be a better fit,” Eggman harshly replied.

“You flatter me, Ivo,” Sylphic retorted with a smirk. “I want to clear out what’s left on that station. You could get more use out of that colony that you would in this dinky lab.” He turned and held up his hand as he departed. “Just send me a message through the communicator when you get your work done. I’ll update you on the status of the clearout.”

* * *

Shadow and Rouge walked through the long hallways of the Colony, having landed in the hangar only ten minutes before. Shadow assuredly walked ahead, navigating the hallways with ease. His memories of the place served him well.

“Alright, another couple of lefts and we should be there,” Shadow muttered.

“Wait, Shadow,” Rouge said. “Are you certain this is a good idea? You said he was temperamental.”

“I said he had a temper, there’s a difference,” Shadow replied, slowing his walk but not stopping outright. “Besides, I think he’d be a little more at ease up here than he would on Earth.”

“What makes you say that?” Rouge asked.

“Call it a hunch if you want,” Shadow said. “I’d rather call it deduction.”

Rouge rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend to be some sort of ivory-tower intellectual,” she said.

“I’m not,” Shadow replied. “I wanted to confirm something.”

“Speaking of which,” Rouge said. “Tails wanted a copy of Gerald’s logs. I hope you don’t mind. He said that he’d heard Sonic recall something that brought the incident to mind.”

Shadow paused, and Rouge bumped into him. “Hey, watch it,” she chided.

“You didn’t happen to bring them up with you, did you?” Shadow asked.

“Well, I have the originals with me since I only gave the fox enough time to copy the files. Can’t exactly give him the real deal.”

Shadow nodded and continued forward. “You’re a godsend, Rouge.”

“Huh?” she asked. “What do you mean?”

“Hand me the drive,” he said, rounding a corner and reaching his hand back.

“I left it in the aircraft,” she said.

Shadow took a slow breath in. “Go back and get it then,” he replied. “Please.”

Rouge tilted her head. “Are you okay, Shadow? You seem… nervous.”

“I’m fine, just please go get the logs before I get too impatient,” he said. His voice was quiet, but it was clear to Rouge that he didn’t want to have an argument.

As Rouge went back to the hangar, Shadow turned and came onto the observation deck. The glass panels below let him glimpse into the vast emptiness of space, where thousands of little lights waited like quiet lanterns floating on an endless foggy lake. A few trails of them accentuated the vast loneliness of it, and its beauty was something that reminded him dearly of his time here.

He pulled out the Sapphire and stared at it. “How exactly do you work?” he wondered aloud, fascinated yet haunted by it. In the commotion of the fight, he hadn’t heard the words that the hybrid had used.

He looked to the floor again, where he spotted a scratch on one of the otherwise pristine panels. It was another marker of memory. He remembered him and Maria lying on their stomachs and staring down into space, where occasionally part of the Earth would pass below. They’d draw the continents out on a map and give them names. Maria changed the names every time, and Shadow, still unsure of how to go about holding a pen, would accidentally leave scratches in the glass from how hard he’d press into the paper.

He ran his gloved finger over the scratch. It was long and deep, a tiny trench in an otherwise calm and clear seabed.

He looked over at the window as the planet passed, and he soon stood up and ran towards it. Grabbing the railing, he looked out and stared at how big and blue Earth was. The view never seemed to get old. “And that one, is named Kamarkia,” he muttered, pointing with one of his fingers. “And that one is Loftali. And that…” he trailed off. “I still remember all those silly names you gave them.”

The sounds of footsteps came from behind, gentle but flat. Their tone wasn’t sharp and crackly, but dulled and soft like a low hum. Shadow didn’t even turn around- he already knew.

“So you did decide to join me here,” Shadow said. “It took you long enough.”

“I was already here,” the hybrid replied, stepping forward. “I was just performing my responsibilities.”

“What responsibilities could you possibly have? You came here of your own volition.”

Sylphic walked up next to him and leaned on the railing. “I made it look like I actually did something up here. I can’t just let the G.U.N. robots waltz around without at least trying to be rid of a few.”

Shadow stepped back slightly as the hybrid's hand came to his belt, and to his canteen. “Relax,” the violet hedgehog said. “I have no intention to harm you.” He unfastened the container and held it out to Shadow. “I’d offer you the first sip, but I know you still don’t trust me, so…” He unscrewed the cap and took a swig. “There, now if it’s poisoned we both die.” A slight smirk curled at the edge of his lip.

Shadow nodded, knowing well that it was a joke, and took the canteen. He drank a bit of it, pausing as he tasted something strange. He didn’t want to be completely rude, but he also fought the urge to swallow.

“Sorry,” Sylphic said, eyes fixated on the Earth below as he took the canteen back. “I might have driven an ice spike through a few of their beetles. You’re probably tasting a bit of metal.”

Shadow forced himself to swallow, even though he didn’t like it. He then paused and looked down at the Earth again. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he said.

“Yeah,” Sylphic replied. “It really is.”

Shadow looked down and played with the Sapphire between his fingers. “I can show you now if you want, but I have a question. How did you know? All those things about her, I mean. Nobody would have known that, and the Professor wouldn’t have just given you that information.”

Sylphic’s eyes waned in their spark. “I just… knew. I already knew from the moment I saw you. All those things, all those memories, flooding back like a summer tsunami.” His fist tightened around the rail.

Shadow nodded. “I know it’s hard. I lost her too. I never even got to say goodbye.”

A tear formed on Sylphic’s lower eye line. “Neither did I…” he muttered.

Shadow was taken aback by the comment. He knew already that Sylphic had been awakened only a few weeks ago, and that he shouldn’t have known her at all. But the way he was speaking- his mannerisms, his gentle tone, his demeanor, even that look he’d given him back in Eggman’s hideout- it all hit him at once, and he knew.

“I get it now,” Shadow said, turning to face him. “Gerald didn’t tamper with your memories at all- he endowed you with  _his_ memories.”

Sylphic turned to look at him. “What?”

“ _That’s_ why you’re so obsessed with revenge.” The black hedgehog held a hand to his chin. “I had the faintest of suspicions that it was something like this, but…” He looked at the Sapphire. “Sylphic, right?” he asked.

The hybrid nodded somberly in response.

“Does the Sapphire only weaponize memories?” he asked.

“No, it’s just a memory stone,” he said. “It has several applications, and only one of them is to weaponize thoughts like that. But it can also recall memories made in spaces, among other things. Why?”

“Do you... want to see her?” he asked. He was hesitant but he knew it was what he had to do.

Sylphic’s eyes welled up.

“Oh, don’t cry,” Shadow said, grabbing the hybrid’s hand. He dragged him over to the control panel. “Here, show me how it’s done.” He gently placed the Sapphire in his hands.

“Can you really trust me with this?” Sylphic asked.

“If you want to, I can take it back,” Shadow replied.

Sylphic held the gem to his chest. “No! No… no thank you. I…” His hands shook. “I’m afraid. What if I don’t like the truth?”

“Would you rather believe in a lie?” Shadow asked.

“No.” The hybrid took a step back and closed his eyes. “Hold my hand, please.”

“What?”

“If you want to show me something in particular, I’m going to need you to come with me. I… I can’t do it alone. It’ll hurt too much.”

Shadow reached out, but hesitated at his fingers. It was only for a moment, they’d be done soon. “Just do _not_ interlace your fingers. That’s off limits.”

“Understood, Shadow.” Sylphic sandwiched the Sapphire between their hands, and the two of them closed their eyes. “Seven chimes, call us back to the place before.”

Shadow was the first of them to open his eyes. The sound of sirens rang in the air, and the lights flashed red as the sound of rumbling footsteps echoed in the joining halls. Sylphic’s breath hitched, and Shadow was looking patiently at the door.

The two of them watched Maria and the Shadow of the past stumble through and into the open space, the former struggling to stay upright as she clutched her bleeding chest with one hand. “It’s alright, Shadow, you’re going to make it!”

“Maria,” the Shadow of the past said as he was left in the center of the room. “What are you doing?”

“I have to do this, Shadow. I’m going to die. There’s no way we will both make it to Earth alive if I’m hurt this bad,” she replied.

The capsule came down and Shadow watched, tears building up, as it locked shut. His past self was shouting, crying out for her.

“Shadow!” Maria yelled.

The past Shadow went quiet.

“Shadow, please don’t take your anger out on them. I know this will hurt you, but please don’t let it be you. You’re so much more.” Her breathing became even more labored. “Shadow, I beg of you, _please_ do it for me… for a better future! For all the people who live on that planet… give them a chance to be happy. Let them live for their dreams. Shadow, I know you can do it. That's the reason why you were brought into this world.”

She looked up as the door to the deck slid open, revealing a charging soldier. She looked back to her dear friend and smiled. “Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."

A shot fired as Maria’s fist came down on the eject button, and she collapsed to the floor. She faded into dust, and as the vision peeled away and they returned to reality, Shadow found Sylphic kneeling on the floor, his tears dropping and freezing on contact with the metal panels.

Shadow knelt by him. “I’m sorry you had to see that,” he said. He shuddered a bit. “Honestly, I’m sorry _I_ had to see that again.”

Sylphic gripped the stone in his hand, speechless as he continued to sharply inhale through his painfully restrained sobbing.

Rouge walked forward towards them from the hallway. “Shadow, did you have to frighten him so?” she asked.

“I showed him what he needed to see,” Shadow said, standing up. “Did you get the logs?”

Rouge nodded. She knelt down next to Sylphic, whose ice spread a little further over the floor at her approach.

“She’s not going to hurt you,” Shadow reassured. “She’s with me.”

The ice receded, but he continued to cry.

Rouge jumped at the sound of her phone going off. “What the… how on Earth am I getting reception from up here?” She clicked the button. “Hello Headquarters? This is Rouge the Ba--”

“Sorry to interrupt your mission,” a young voice called from the other end, “but we’ve got trouble.”

“Tails?” Rouge said. “This is a private line, how did you even trace this number?”

“You set your phone down when you went to reapply your makeup,” he said.

“That was  _five_ _minutes!_ ” Rouge replied.

“Five minutes was all it took. Anyways, we’re gonna need you back here, and fast. Sonic… he’s gone. And he wasn’t himself, either. Something’s controlling him. He took Cream, Cheese, and Briar.”

Shadow looked at Rouge. “You don’t think that--”

“I definitely do,” she replied. “Okay, Tails. We will meet you back on the ground soon.”

“Back on the ground? Where--”

Rouge abruptly hung up.

Sylphic sniffled as he tried to speak. “Eggman planted something in his body that allows him to manipulate the hedgehog’s movements. You’re not going to catch him, his speed wasn’t affected by the procedure.”

“Hasn’t stopped me before,” Shadow said.

“No, I mean…” He stood up and reached his hand out to Rouge. “Ugh, I need those logs.”

Rouge raised an eyebrow. Shadow nodded to her.

Sylphic carefully took the drive and hurried over to the control panel, where he pulled up the entries. “Yes, I remember this now.”

“What is he talking about?” Rouge asked Shadow.

“I told Ivo before I came here to gather the Emeralds.” He began flicking through the logs, trying to find the right one. “I suggested we use them to fire the Eclipse Cannon again.”

“Wouldn’t that reactivate the collision program?” Shadow asked.

“It normally would, yes. Since the process was miraculously halted, the system acted as though it never happened. But considering that Sonic is already on the prowl, he’s likely finished the program meant to counteract it.” He pulled up a file with a few ciphers on it. “Okay, this is the one.”

“What are you doing?” Shadow asked.

“I have to go through his logs to find the appropriate protection measures he took for a prediction program he’d made a long time ago.”

“A prediction program?” Rouge asked. “For predicting what?”

Sylphic swiped his hand over the screen and pulled up a command prompt. “Predicting the travelling points of the Chaos Emeralds. Where was the last time they were used?”

“I used them up here to destroy the Black Comet,” Shadow said.

“Excellent, that makes my job easier,” Sylphic replied. His tears were drying up as he focused on typing.

“You know I can hack this too, right?” Rouge said. “No reason to strain your mind. You look like you’ve taken enough of an emotional beating.”

“I’m fine,” the hybrid replied. “I didn’t know that you could hack, but even though you can, it isn’t so easy.”

“Oh? Rouge asked. “What makes you so sure?”

“The logs were an easy way to hide some clever coding tricks that acted as a “key” to the program. The access to that information is only possible when the logs are in the system, and like any good scientist, Gerald also had loads of obfuscated code and junk code and even crack protection. Checks upon checks upon checks of crack protection.” He swiped his finger down and continued.

“Most cracking hardware such as MOD chips will give the data that the system needs in order to access it, but upon starting a process such as calculation of the Emeralds’ trajectory, another check for the data will be prompted.” He grinned as he pulled up another screen. “If the data is successfully retrieved a second time, the system knows it’s being cracked and immediately fries whatever hardware it’s using to crack it. Gerald really did his best not to let this fall into the wrong hands.”

A screen came up with a world map. “Alright, let’s begin. If you took one of them, that should account for… five Emeralds.”

“Don’t you mean six?” Shadow asked. “There are seven in total.”

“Oh, no. I have one on me. At least, I think it’s on me.” Sylphic felt at his chest. “Yep, still there.”

Shadow furrowed his brow, then looked back at Rouge. “Where did you put the Emerald?” he asked.

“We were at the house, and then I set it down to go look---”

“Please tell me you didn’t leave it in front of Sonic,” Shadow said.

Rouge smirked and pulled it out. “Just teasing.”

Shadow scowled at her.

“I almost gotcha there, didn’t I?” she said.

“Stop fooling around, you two,” Sylphic said. “Alright, here they are. Those are their coordinates. That’s only an approximation but they can be determined to be at the points there within a 10-mile radius. All that’s left is to sniff them out.” He groaned as he steadied himself and clutched his head. "Ugh, that's all I can do right now. Tapping into those memories... am I supposed to be so dizzy?"

Rouge nodded and pulled out her phone, snapping a photo and turning it into notes. Shadow took the Emerald from her. “Where do we put them?” he asked.

“The Cannon itself is clearly a risk. Six of the seven is enough to blow up half the moon, and five is enough to level a city. Long story short, we aren’t putting it in the cannon.” Sylphic turned to Shadow. “You can handle its powers, so you should keep it.

Rouge finished typing the coordinates into her tracking device and grinned. “Alright, we should be golden. You coming, purple?”

The hybrid chuckled, but as he turned away and stumbled over to the rail again before staring out at Earth, the slightest hint of a frown came over his face. There was a longing in his eyes, but also a glint of great fear.

Rouge tilted her head. “Is he still going to mope?”

Shadow pursed his lips. He was clearly annoyed but he did his best to hold it down. “Rouge, go get the ship fired up, I’ll be back in there a minute.”

“Do you need extra seat space?” she asked, still looking at the hybrid.

“You do what you think is best,” Shadow replied.

As the two split up, the black hedgehog turned to Sylphic. “Okay, cut the theatrics, I know you’re still upset.”

The violet hedgehog remained silent.

Shadow groaned. “What’s wrong, Sylphic?”

“I spent all of my time on Earth so far wanting it destroyed, but I’m looking at it now and… why does the idea disgust me?” he asked.

“Because when Gerald imparted his memories onto you, it’s possible he gave what little moral good he had left to you as well,” Shadow replied. “He might have been crazy, but deep down, he wanted to save lives with his research. He made me to cure Maria’s illness, and he made the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the Black Comet to free himself from his end of Black Doom’s bargain for my existence.”

“But he made me out of  _spite_ , out of  _anger_ . Does that make me…” he began to sniffle again.

Shadow was uneasy at the sight of the person who was practically his sibling breaking down like this, but wasn’t sure how to approach.

“...a  _mistake_ ?” Shadow finished.

Sylphic looked at him, eyes wide and patient.

“No.” Shadow leaned on the rail. “I had the same worries. I wasn’t sure why I was brought into this world. And while Maria certainly pointed me in the right direction, I ultimately had to choose to do the right thing.”

“But Ivo used Gerald to make me! He abused the grief of a grandparent to bring me to life...” Tears began rolling down his cheeks. "I was born from deceit, born from a series of elaborate lies!"

Shadow struggled a bit to find the right words. Consoling wasn’t really something he was ever good at. While he certainly had a soft spot, it was buried down beneath years of grief. He hated to admit that he felt anything that didn’t make him strong, but in this moment, it was those same feelings he hated admitting that were what he needed to be such.

“You know,” Shadow said, moving a bit closer. His eyes watched the weather that passed over the continents. “When I finally got to settle down and have “normal” days- days where you don’t have to fight, or spy on someone, or save the world- I found out that people have written so much about so many things. Some of them even seem trivial.” He chuckled for a moment, but settled back into his usual somber look. “When I go get a new book, I read through the first chapter, and if it’s boring, I put it back.”

“Why would you do something like that?” Sylphic asked, trying to pull himself off the rail he was leaning heavily into.

Shadow’s eyes were trained on a swirling cloud below. A small hurricane had whipped up, but it was already petering out as it crossed over the land. “Because I know that nobody’s first chapter is boring. Not mine, and not yours either. You might have been born of deceit, but you are  _not_ that deceit. If Maria were here, she'd tell you that, but she's not so... I have to tell you instead."

Shadow moved away from the window and began to walk across the room when he heard Sylphic take a breath. He stopped for a moment, not even turning his head. “What’s up?”

“I’m coming with you.”

Shadow grinned. “About time.”


	8. Muscle Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the children are taken hostage, Sonic is forced to do what Eggman asks of him or risk his friends getting hurt. Meanwhile, Sylphic provides the remaining team with what he knows about the Doctor's plans so far and agrees on a plan of action.

Sonic woke to the sound of clattering bars again. His mouth held the slightest twinge of blood and pain, and his limbs were even more sore than they were when he’d been rescued before. He felt the cold of the cell around him, and the puddle of water that sat in the corner he found himself laying in soaked into his fur and made his skin crawl in discontent.

“Ugh, I’m here again?” he groaned, pulling himself onto his knees. “How did I get back here?”

“Mr. Sonic!” a gentle voice cried. Sonic looked about for the source of the call.

“Huh?” he asked. “Cream is that you?”

“Uh-huh…” her voice timidly wavered. “Why did you bring us here?”

“What? I didn’t bring you here!” Sonic said. He spotted Cream at the front of the cell on the other side of the hall. He pushed himself onto his feet and ran over to the bars. “Why would I bring you to Egghead’s base?”

He saw Briar in the corner of Cream’s cell. She was holding her head, curled up as though she were trying to shrink herself into the walls. “Briar…” he breathed.

“You don’t remember?” Cream asked. She nervously played with her fingers. “You woke up in the middle of the night, took Brair and Me and Cheese, and--”

“Cheese, where’s Cheese?” Sonic asked, shaking a bit from how something like that could even happen.

“Eggman took him!” Cream said, trying her best to hold back tears. “I don’t know what he’s gonna do to him. What if he gets hurt? Or worse!?”

Sonic nodded. “Well, I gotta get outta here, and then I gotta get you all out of here,” he said.

“You’re not gonna be heading anywhere, you little rat,” a gruff voice said.

Sonic frowned as Eggman came down the hall. His gait was bouncier than usual, and he was holding a suspicious quarter-sized disk between his fidgety thumb and middle finger. He carefully positioned himself in front of the blue blur and smirked.

“I hope you had fun sleepwalking last night,” he said. “Your abilities are quite remarkable.”

Sonic stepped back. “What did you do to me?”

Robotnik chuckled. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I would,” Sonic said, clenching his fists. “That’s why I asked. Don’t make me ask again.”

“Hah,” Eggman said. “If you must know, your body’s been hijacked, and there’s very little you can do about it. I take it your fox friend failed to notice the insertion points of each chip.” He took the disk in his fingers and pressed it against his temple.

Sonic’s lip curled into a snarl. “I’m a hedgehog, not a guinea pig. You can’t keep me here forever.”

Eggman grinned. “You’re right, I can’t.” He took a key and fiddled with the lock on Sonic’s cell. “If you want to leave, you can just go.”

As the door swung open, Sonic tried to move his foot. But it wouldn’t budge. He clenched his fists and tried to pull it off the ground, but as it raised a mere inch off the floor, he felt his leg shoot with a pain akin to white-hot pins and needles. He clenched his jaw and snarled. “What have you done?”

“I already told you, I’ve taken control of your body. You aren’t going to be able to move in any way I don’t allow.” He bent down and looked at him. “You’re being awfully well behaved for what I’m used to.”

Sonic hissed in pain as he tried to move his arm. The same feeling shot through his limbs and left him drained.

“Hm, can’t even throw a punch, either,” Eggman said. “I think you’ll be much more useful this way. More useful than that violet… thing.”

Sonic narrowed his eyes. “Where is he?”

“Last I heard he was up on the ARK, but he said he was busy clearing out the infestation up there. So I got the next best thing,” he replied. “Now, you’re going to make yourself useful lest you want your friends to get hurt.”

“And if I don’t?” Sonic said.

Eggman grinned and pulled open a panel on a nearby wall. “I think you’ll find you’re not the only one with trouble swimming.” He pulled down a red lever within the wall and grinned as a glass barrier dropped in front of the bars of the girls’ cell.

Cream looked up as Cheese was dropped into her lap from a nearby vent. “How’d you get out of his hands?” she asked.

“Chao chao…” Cheese said frightfully.

Cream looked up as a trickle of water from the vent turned into a drizzle and then a healthy stream. Briar’s eyes widened as she shook up and held Cream close.

Sonic’s eyes widened. “You aren’t seriously going to…”

Eggman smirked. “So will you cooperate?”

Cream shook her head. “Mr. Sonic, don’t do it, he’s clearly bluff--” She shrieked as the water came down harder.

“Don’t,” Sonic said, his eyes widening.

“Don’t what?” Eggman asked, turning the water up even more.

“D-don’t hurt them,” Sonic spat. “They’re just…”

Eggman shut off the flow. Briar stood with Cream and Cheese in the knee-deep water, cradling the crying rabbit.

Eggman flicked his wrist, and Sonic’s feet came undone from the floor. “Now, you’re going to be grabbing a few Emeralds for me.”

“And why should I listen to you?”

Eggman frowned and looked at the girls behind the glass. “That should have been proof enough.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m gonna listen to you,” he said. “What’s to keep me from running my mouth?”

Eggman smirked again. “This.”

Sonic shouted as his body began to feel red-hot. His spine tingled and his nerves felt like bullet wounds. He tensed up as his knees buckled, and the impact of his legs onto the cold metal floor felt like a drop in the ocean of shocking pain he was under.

“They’re long-range,” Eggman said, his voice losing its jovial tone. “Shall we try this again?”

Sonic gasped as he was released from the intense pain. “There’s no way I’ll just give myself up like tha--”

Another wave of pain hit him. He slammed his fist against the ground, hard enough that he would’ve likely bruised it. Cream and Briar hugged each other and Cheese as they watched the struggle.

The wave left, and Sonic struggled to stand back up. “Let them go,” he said.

“Not until I have what I want,” he replied, flicking the water back on and sending Sonic into another series of shocks.

“Mr. Sonic!” Cream cried.

The hedgehog shook violently as he beared through the pain. “I…”

Eggman raised an eyebrow. “What? What was that? Speak up, your oversized rodent.”

“Just stop and I’ll do what needs to be done,” Sonic screamed. “Just don’t hurt my friends!” His senses kicked into overdrive, and he swung his fist around towards the doctor.

The punch stopped an inch from Eggman’s face. “Remarkable, even with all that control you still manage to break out, even for a moment.” He stopped the pins and needles and turned off the water.

Sonic looked at Cream, who was crying senselessly and clutching her Chao friend tightly. “Don’t worry Cream, I’ll find a way to get you out of there.” He looked at the smirking doctor. “Somehow…"

* * *

  
Bastette seemed inconsolable. “She’s the only family I have left, she’s going to die there. Who knows what sort of horrid punishment he’s come up with! What if Sylphic is encasing them in ice? Or drowning them? Or the doctor is running an experiment, or--”

“Bastette, you can’t think clearly if you’re panicking,” Tails said as he attempted to console her. It seemed like he was being a hypocrite saying that- his own panic at his best friend disappearing into the night like that was mounting higher and higher with each passing moment. He struggled to swallow the lump in his throat but he knew it was what he had to do when a friend was in trouble.

“I have every reason to panic! My family is gone, all of my family except for Briar. If I lose her, I’ll be the only one and I’ll be all alone, and I don’t think--”

“Calm yourself down!” Knuckles gruffly said. “We aren’t getting anywhere by freaking out.” He looked outside. “Are those two back yet?”

Tails frowned. “They said they’d be back on the ground soon. I don’t know how or why they were off the ground, but they’ll be back on it soon.” 

Bastette stood up, knocking Tails over as she went to pace back and forth across the floor. “Where would they have been taken? They couldn’t have gone far… what if--”

“Hey,” Tails said, steadying himself as he stood. “You can’t think like that!”

“Like what?” Bastette said.

“Stop thinking ‘what if this’ and ‘what if that’. It’s not going to help you at all, it’s just going to make you even more frightened.”

Bastette went quiet for a moment and stood still, fists clenched. “What else am I supposed to do?”

“Well,” Knuckles said, walking around to her front. “You’re smart. Use your head.”

Bastette looked at him, then to Tails, who nodded to her.

A clattering knock came to the front door. Tails’ eyes lit up, and he ran and pulled it open. “Where have you been? And where’s Shadow?”

The daylight shone along the edges of Rouge’s figure as she stood over the boy. The sound of a helicopter engine powering down accented the outdoor air. “Shadow’s in the cockpit. We have some extra firepower with us, but he’s a bit nervous.”

“Oh?” Tails said. “Why is he frightened?”

“Oh, you know, shyness,” she replied. “Among other things,” she added under her breath.

Tails signaled to Bastette and Knuckles. “C’mon.”

Rouge awkwardly moved as the others pushed their way past her. “Um, I’m not sure if that’s really the best idea, he’s still a little drained.”

Tails was already hovering over to the stopped copter when he pulled himself back. In the back of the cockpit sat Shadow, conversing with a familiar violet person, who immediately spotted him and ducked behind the black hedgehog.

Tails paused, noting the look on the hybrid’s face- a look of genuine but slight fright. He turned and looked at Knuckles and Bastette and frowned, aware that their tempers were far worse, and immediately returned to them. “Maybe we should let him come out first,” he said to them, chuckling.

Bastette frowned. “We don’t have the time to just sit and learn everyone’s names, we have to--”

Knuckles, who’d been walking close behind, felt the plush of her ponytail hit his face. “Hey, what are you doing?” he asked, a bit louder than usual. The cat stood in place staring at the cockpit, and as the door to the helicopter slid open, he gently moved her aside and immediately realized what she was staring at. 

Tails frowned. “Now, guys, let’s not get overzealous here.”

Knuckles growled. “You!” he said, running towards Shadow and the hybrid. 

“Eep!” Sylphic replied, ducking back inside. Shadow gripped his wrist, forcing him to turn around.

Knuckles looked livid and ready to kill on sight, Bastette was completely paralyzed in an odd combination of surprise and terror, and Tails was apologetically looking at Sylphic having already deduced what had happened.

The fox landed in front of Shadow as he exited the helicopter. “Lemme guess, you were up on the ARK.”

Shadow nodded. “We had a chat.”

Tails leaned over and looked at Sylphic. “You’re not too badly spooked are you?” 

Sylphic frowned. “I…” his voice was noticeably quieter than before. “I hope it isn’t too late to change teams.”

Knuckles relaxed a bit. “Change teams? So you’re not responsible for Sonic disappearing on us?” The hybrid shook his head in response, and Knuckles turned to Bastette. “Well, that’s one ‘what if’ you can cross off your list, right?”

The cat was visibly shaking. “What could he possibly be doing if Sylphic is here?” she hoarsely whispered. “He’s even worse on his own.”

“I don’t know what exactly he had in mind, but I might have an idea as to what,” Sylphic said. “You’re not gonna like it, though.”

Tails pursed his lips. “That doesn’t really sound hopeful.”

“Well, the odds aren’t exactly stacked in our favor, considering we’ve lost the person who can cover more ground than all of you combined,” Shadow said. “But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have our advantages. Let’s go inside, we can’t plan standing out in the grass.”

\-------------------------------------

Knuckles was still staring at Sylphic as he munched on fruit. A lack of claws, but the presence of the same spines he had, a lack of long quills in exchange for short ones on the back of his head, which turned upwards like the head of a Chao, all of those features seemed to go to together in such a strange way that it was hard to understand exactly how the professor could have spliced those together and balanced it out.

“Um,” Sylphic said, biting into an apple, “could you please not stare at me? It’s really rude.”

Knuckles frowned and broke his gaze. “You just… you’re so different.”

“Gee, thanks…” Sylphic replied.

“That’s not a bad thing!” Knuckles said, trying to backpedal. “It’s just… you’re so...unique.”

Sylphic looked away, and Shadow raised an eyebrow. “You’re not helping by gawking,” Shadow said. 

Tails rested his hand on the table. “So you have some of his memories too, am I getting that right?”

“Yeah, that’s about the size of it, I suppose,” Sylphic replied. “Sometimes those memories just resurface.”

Bastette had gotten over her shock of seeing him but was still frantic as she scribbled furious notes on the map they’d made the night before. “So, does that make you him?” she asked, only half paying attention.

“I don’t think so?” Sylphic replied, unsure. “I mean, it isn’t like I go by that name or I only remember that time super well.” He clutched his head. “A lot of it came flooding back when I saw Shadow back at the base.”

“It’s why I went up to the ARK, I had to meet him there. I had suspicions, but never anything this strange,” Shadow said.

Tails nodded. “Well, whatever the situation is, we’re glad to have you on our side. Now, what did you want to tell us about Eggman’s plans?”

“Right,” the hybrid said. “When I left Ivo to his business, he had been working on installing these small disks onto Sonic’s body. They aren’t anything particularly special- they work somewhat like a TENS unit. But he’s managed to utilize them in such a way that he can practically have control over Sonic’s free will. Or more accurately, whether Sonic is or isn’t allowed to move freely, and what parts he can and cannot move.”

“So it isn’t brainwashing?” Knuckles asked.

“No, not really.” Sylphic said. “More like manipulation of a marionette, but with pain rather than strings. But you said he broke out in his sleep?”

“Yeah,” Tails said. “I was at the fridge when I saw him dash out, eyes still closed, still snoring and everything.”

“So he’s managed to overcome the paralysis that sleep is supposed to have, and likely manipulated other disks to simulate where not to turn. Geez, and I berated him over his misunderstanding of biology…”

Tails thought for a second. “Well, we gotta find some way to stop him. Do we even know where he’s going?”

“He told Eggman about the Eclipse Cannon’s repair. It’s likely that he’s gathering the Emeralds to get some leverage.” Shadow smirked. “Too bad he’s only going to find five.”

“Huh?” Tails asked. “You only have the one you brought back from the base, though.”

Rouge smiled. “We have another one smuggled away where it isn’t so easy to find.” She patted Sylphic hard on the back. “Care to show ‘em?” she said.

“I’m not exactly great at controlling it,” Sylphic said. “I have no idea what it’ll do.”

Shadow put a hand on his shoulder. “Just concentrate on it, and let that concentration move to your arm. I’m certain you can get it out if--”

Sylphic bit down on his lip and his right arm became enlarged and heavyset. His claws grew out slightly. “Augh!” he said, the hiss of his sharp inhales, causing the team to reach forward slightly. He let go of his concentration. “There’s… an Emerald in me now. And I can’t remove it.”

“You must have absorbed it like Chaos did a while back,” Knuckles said. “You… are part Chao, after all…”

“Is that what that was?” Sylphic asked. “It was painful, nearly knocked the wind outta me!”

Rouge walked over to Bastette. “Hey, I know you’re busy with your mapping, but I have the coordinates for each Emerald. We managed to get a calculating program that can handle a scattering pattern.”

Bastette watched as the bat put her phone down with the coordinates. “That precise, huh? Looks like the professor really did cover his bases.”

Rouge nodded. 

A pink figure emerged from her room wearing her fluffy pajamas and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Ugh, it’s six in the morning, you guys, what on Earth are you doi…” Her voice petered out as she spotted the hybrid.

Tails frowned. “Now Amy,” he said, holding his hands up, “we are gonna think through this like rational peop--”

Amy grabbed her hammer from the front door, where she always held it in case of visitors. 

Sylphic bristled, water unleashing itself from the canteen and forming a small shield. 

“He’s with us now!” Knuckles said. “Calm down.”

“Wait, where’s Sonic?” Amy asked, lowering her hammer and looking about. 

“Yeah,” Sylphic said. “About that…”


	9. Catch and Release

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow, Bastette, and Sylphic enact Tails' secret plan.

Tails was rummaging through his box in his workshop. The clattering noise stung at the hybrid’s ears, but he did his best not to alert the fox in an attempt to remain amicable.

“So,” the boy said, “mind explaining why you sent the coordinates to Eggman?”

“I can’t let him catch onto me,” Sylphic replied. “If he knew I switched teams, I doubt he’d have any reason to show restraint.”

“Restraint? Eggman? You’ve gotta be kidding,” Tails said. “That guy can’t restrain himself enough to show a little modesty in his work.”

“While that may be true, I’d rather hide in the shadow of his own arrogance.”

Knuckles awkwardly leaned against the wall with his foot propping him upright. “Tails, what are you even doing?”

“Preparing for everything ahead of us. We can’t catch Sonic immediately, that would be too risky,” he replied.

“Risky? What risks could possibly keep us from getting our friend back?” he gruffly asked.

Bastette was skimming through her notes from the plan. “Well, for one,” she said, “he has chips all over his body that create a muscular response strong enough to control his movements, meaning we need to be careful not to trip them.”

Sylphic nodded. “We don’t know how strong those things can be, so we have to assume the worst and believe that they could outright kill him if we get too close.”

“But why would Eggman want to kill him?” Knuckles asked. “Isn’t he using Sonic?”

“Yes,” Bastette said. “But you know that he’s not above disposing of tools he no longer finds useful. If Sonic fails to perform his task, he will move back to Plan A.”

“Alright, I’m packed up, how about everybody else?”

“Hmph,” Knuckles said. “Everyone else is ready to go except… Amy. She’s been looking around her room at her place for something for the past hour.”

“Should we just leave her behind?” Bastette said, pulling her new explorer’s pack over her shoulder. “Time _is_ of the essence here.”

“I’m sure that if she’s looking for something important, she’s bound to find it soon. She keeps her place spotless all the time.”

The team could hear a skid from outside, Knuckles looked out the window and grinned. “Well, speak of the devil.”

Amy was conversing with Shadow and Rouge outside, the former of which was busy explaining the crisis at hand to his superiors. He looked completely calm for once, only having to shake his head every so often. The girls were busy discussing something or other, and their slack posture made it seem like idle banter.

Amy perked up and looked at her bag. She raised her finger to Rouge in a moment of interruption before running inside. The bat waved to her as she left.

The pink hedgehog stumbled into the lab. “Sorry, sorry, I just couldn’t leave the house without this…” She fished around in her handbag for a bit before grabbing hold of her cargo. “Ah yes, here it is. Tada!”

The hybrid paused as she held out what appeared to be a large canteen. “Why did you get this?”

“So that you can hold more water, silly!” she replied. “I can take your old one, and you can have this one.”

“But… it’s yours. I don’t want to take something that belongs to someone else like that…” Sylphic touched the cold metal of it. His reflection was bent and distorted, but unlike what he’d seen with the Emerald, it was wholly him, unbroken and without blemish. He almost smiled.

Amy pushed it into his arms. “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you to take it! I don’t drink that much water on trips and I‘m definitely not gonna be using it anytime soon.”

“But--”

“No buts,” the hedgehog replied, and she gestured with her hand for the old canteen.

Sylphic sighed. “Can you promise to take good care of it?” he asked her, cautiously relinquishing the old container he’d always known. “I’ve had it for as far back as I can remember, which is about three weeks ago.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she replied with a grin. “Consider it a belated birthday gift. You know, since you were basically born recently.”

Sylphic smiled, and for the first time it wasn’t painful or malicious. It was a genuine smile at the first sign that the world wasn’t as bad as Gerald’s memories had forced him to believe. His eyes darted around the room, and though the team was only half-paying attention, he felt like all their attention was towards this one gesture of kindness. He had to do something back, anything to show appreciation.

“Eep!” Amy yelped as the hybrid embraced her.

“Thank you, Amy,” he said. “I… I couldn’t ask for a better gift.”

Amy gently put her arms up and hugged back. “It’s no trouble at all, just something friends do for friends!”

“Friends?” Sylphic chuckled as a warm feeling encompassed his chest. “You mean it?”

“Of course I mean it! All that stuff you did, it was bad, but you’re trying to fix it. That’s worth something, right?” Amy panted a bit. “Uh, Sylphic, you’re getting really hot…”

He backed away and stared down at his chest, where a burning red light shone through the white patch of fur adorning his chest. “This is…”

With a crack, he was pushed back slightly, and the Chaos Emerald came away and fell to the ground. He collapsed and gasped for air. “I… how did you…?”

Tails smirked and nodded knowingly with Knuckles. “Alright, we have to get going. Bastette, did you get any information on where the Doctor might go first?”

“According to all indications and predictions, he’s likely to go to the furthest place first,” Bastette said. “So… Soleanna.”

“We went there for a festival last year,” Tails said. “I know the place pretty well. Where do you think it could have landed?”

“Well, if I’m reading correctly,” Bastette continued, “it’s within a 10-mile radius of an impact site last year. Which was… on the coastline.”

“Alright, first one down,” Tails said. “Let's get going, we're gonna need to split up for this one.”

“Why?” Shadow asked.

“Because,” he replied. “I have a plan of action.”

As the squad departed, Sylphic turned to leave, but Tails pulled his arm. He paused and turned. “What is it?” he quietly asked.

“I have something special in mind for you, Sylphic.” He looked at Shadow. “You and Bastette too.”

* * *

The familiar air of Wave Ocean shook Sonic to his core. Had he not been on a time limit, he would’ve soaked in rays. Something about the wind from the City Walls in the distance felt strange, almost as if he’d lived another life here.

Eggman’s voice crackled in his ear, interrupting the hedgehog’s quandaries. He grimaced and turned down the headset a few notches. At this rate he was bound to get a headache from the suddenness of the Doctor’s many ‘announcements’.

“I’ve gathered a second one, a bit closer to the base this time. My insider source has helped me immensely," Eggman said.

“Any particular reason why you need me then? Can’t you use your golden boy?” Sonic fumed, walking towards the impact site, a cavern that stood deep in the beach’s cliffside. “You’d be better off with him.”

Sonic felt a shock to his neck, followed by a release. He picked at his fur where he’d felt the chip and pulled it from under his skin. His fingers were stained with the faintest hint of red as he realized how tightly these things were latched onto him. And as soon as he had the time to process what a chore it would be, he felt another shock come to him, this time more painful and from the front.

“You didn’t happen to take one of your restraints off, did you?” Eggman chuckled. “Now’s the perfect time to tell you that the more you remove, the higher the voltage gets. And I doubt your body will last with only a few left. Especially when some of them are in harder places to reach.”

Sonic shuddered, not even daring to think what he could have meant by that. “Any other invasions I should know about, Egghead?” he asked.

“Oh, ho ho! Bold now, are you?” Eggman replied. “If I told you everything, it wouldn’t be fun now, would it?”

“So… no,” Sonic said. “Gotcha.”

He smirked as he heard the faint grumble from his captor.

As he slid down into the cave, he made note of what was said. There was no way he’d be able to disarm all of them on his own, and with the doctor constantly keeping passive contact with him through the earpiece, he wasn’t going to be able to tell his friends should they find him. His best bet was to find a way to hold his own weapon against him.

He made it to the bottom of the cavernous impact site and walked forward, noting how the blue Emerald was lodged snugly in the rock wall. “Hm, was it really that hard to find?” he asked himself. The crystalline structures on the surrounding walls were beautiful, and it was a wonder how nobody thought to pick up the gem for a year.

The Emerald blinked for a moment, and as Sonic approached and reached for it, he noticed a silhouette of someone hanging from the ceiling. He quickly turned to face Rouge, who’d already begun swooping down, and backed up against the Emerald in an attempt to shield it.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Hunting for jewels, what else?” Rouge replied. Her tone sounded slightly sultry.

“Well buzz off, I have to keep this one,” he said.

“Didn’t know you were getting interested in these sort of things, but then again,” she said, leaning in and reaching behind him. “Then again, they are gorgeous.”

Sonic could feel a slight sting as the devices left a light shock. He hissed and pushed her arm away. “I have to get this to the Doctor immediately!”

“That’s quite unlike you, Sonic,” Rouge said. “Suddenly becoming a heel after all those years of being a face? That’s not who I remember.”

Sonic grumbled. “This situation is life or death,” he said. He revved up to leave, but paused as he heard a grumble from up near the entrance. “What?”

“Oh, did you think I came here alone?” she asked.

Tails and Knuckles clambered into the space from the passage. “We got ya, buddy!” Knuckles said.

Sonic smiled for a brief moment before the shocks overtook him. He grimaced as he reached for the Emerald. “I have to save… Cream and her friends…” His arms shook as he grasped the stone and narrowed his eyes. They’d clearly blocked the entrance, so there was only one way out of this.

Rouge paused. “Alright, your turn, yellow,” she said, jumping back.

Tails pulled out what appeared to be some sort of bb gun. “Sonic, don’t move, we can---”

Sonic sighed and looked at his friends, pleading with his eyes to follow. “Tails, it isn’t safe for you, or for anyone,” he said. His eyes still begged for a pursuit but his words had to remain intentionally contradictory. “ _Don’t_ come after me.”

He turned and pulled the Emerald out of the wall. “Chaos---”

A pinch of pain struck his lower thigh, and he nodded, raising a thumb to his best friend as he completed the words.

“Control!”

With that, Sonic had flashed out of the room, likely escaping out into the open ocean air.

“What on Earth was that?” Rouge asked.

“His words say one thing and his eyes said another,” Tails replied. “We follow him.”

“But how? I mean, sure, Knuckles can get us out of the cave,” Rouge said, “but we don’t know where he’s going.”

“You don’t know where he’s going,” Tails corrected, holding up a radar. A circle blinked in green, and Tails pointed to it. “Hard to miss for me though.”

Knuckle smirked. “I didn’t realize that you’d become a marksman,” he said.

“Eh, it was a lucky shot,” he said. “Can’t say I ever wanna do it again, though.” He nodded to the echidna. “Mind breaking down the rubble? We have a little bit of a time limit here.”

Knuckles nodded. “I’m on it.”

As they dug their way out of the cavern, the sound of Amy's voice rung in their ears. She was standing on the wing of the Tornado 2 and keeping a close guard for any nearby drones. "I spotted him on top of the cliff just now. Did you bug him?"

Tails nodded and ran towards the plane. "Yeah, let's head West."

* * *

As Sylphic rounded the corner of the base's cold hallways with Bastette in tow, he looked at Shadow. “Do you think he will buy it?” he asked.

“Probably not, but that’s only if we don’t factor in his greed.” He frowned. “Playing off of his arrogance will be our best plan.”

The hybrid nodded. “Bastette are you alright?”

“I’m… fine,” she muttered. She clearly wasn’t, but as Sylphic went to respond, Shadow put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

The hybrid sighed, doing his best to change the subject as they approached Eggman’s computer room. “So that’s how you’re going to play this?” he asked.

Shadow nodded. “I don’t call bluffs though. Keep in mind that if I threaten you, I fully intend on following through. Let’s just hope your bones don’t break if it comes to that,” the black hedgehog replied.

Sylphic frowned. “Gee, thanks,” he flatly said. As he watched Shadow smirk at him, he gently nudged him. “Knock it off.”

Shadow settled back into his aloof state as they crossed the threshold to the room. “I take it you’ve been enjoying yourself, Doctor?” the hedgehog asked.

Robotnik turned around in his chair. “Shadow? I’m surprised, usually you’d be doing something to save this planet, not let it go to ruin.”

“Cut the crap, Robotnik, I’m here to make you a deal and you can either take it or I’ll take it for you.” He momentarily looked at Sylphic. “Your call.”

Eggman paused. “Sylphic, how did he even find you?”

“I found him brooding on the observation deck, Ivo,” he replied, his head turned down. Shadow pursed his lips, clearly not enamored with his choice of terms. The hybrid shot him an apologetic glance in return. “His proposition is… interesting, to say the least. It’s a lot more efficient.”

Bastette struggled in her cuffs. Sylphic carefully yanked her restraints, sending her tumbling. She glared at him as if to ask him why he was overdoing it. The hybrid rolled his eyes, knowing well why he had to sell this.

“What is this… proposition of yours, exactly?” Eggman said, fingers twitching slightly. “And how do I know I can trust you?”

“If you have no faith in me,” Shadow replied, “then I suppose you don’t need me to collect the rest of the Emeralds for you. It isn’t like having me on your team would be a massive advantage or anything.”

Eggman pursed his lips. “And what do you want in exchange?” he asked.

“If I deliver any remaining Emeralds that your errand boy hasn’t picked up, I would like to be in possession of the living weapon you have in your arsenal,” he replied. “Your hybrid experiment.”

Eggman swallowed hard. “That still doesn’t answer my question of how I can trust you.”

Sylphic grinned and handed the chain in his hand to Shadow and approached. “When we fought, he snuck away with one of the two Emeralds. He agreed to give it back as a sign of good faith.” He pulled the Emeralds from his pouch. “There’s two more for you, you’re more than halfway there.”

Eggman’s eyes narrowed but he sighed as he took them. “Leave the lady here, Shadow.” He turned back around and flicked through a few of his holo screens. “Ah yes, this device.”

Shadow jumped slightly as his communications device shrieked at him from his wrist.

“I’ve sent the coordinates to you, don’t disappoint me,” Eggman said.

“Never planned to,” Shadow replied. He handed Sylphic the chain again. “I’ll be faster than your delivery boy. Give me an hour.”

“Go then,” the doctor said, unamused.

Shadow slid out of the room and around the corner, leaving Sylphic with Bastette on the floor.

“So, what do we do now?” Sylphic asked.

The doctor turned around and chuckled. He was adjusting a gas mask against his face as the room locked down. “You don't have to do anything, traitor.”

Bastette’s eyes widened as the sound of hissing filled the room. She coughed, tasting metal as her lungs filled and burned from the inside. “What is…”

“Nerve gas,” Eggman said. "Paralytic Nerve Gas."

Sylphic struggled to stand up, for as he did his knees locked into place and sent him tumbling. He couldn’t feel his fingers. He couldn’t feel anything on his skin at all. His insides were turning over and over but he couldn’t even puke through the haze of what was happening.

As his head hit the floor, he caught sight of the doctor’s boot by his face. He didn’t even have a moment to speak before he passed out.


	10. Drown My Sorrows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylphic finds himself in a position where he is forced into accepting the Sapphire. Meanwhile, Shadow and Sonic play a game of Cat and Mouse.

Sonic’s breath hitched as he reached the old fairgrounds in Spagonia. He’d been fortunate to avoid any and all manner of shocks by just staying compliant, but he was beginning to worry that Eggman was growing impatient.

That of course, didn’t seem to matter, as he spotted a familiar face standing in the middle of the field, clutching the green Emerald. “You’re late,” he said.

“Shadow, what are you doing?” Sonic asked.

“What do you think I’m doing?” he said. “I’m doing your job, but better. You were slow again.”

“Why are you working for Eggman?” Sonic asked. “He’s going to destroy your home.”

The black hedgehog’s eyes were trained on Sonic and he nodded. “I have my motivations, namely that G.U.N. could find use in a creature like Sylphic,” he said. “Obviously.”

Sonic grumbled. “I have to save my friends,” he said, advancing towards his rival.

“And I have to get that weapon. I doubt you’d understand that.”

The blue blur darted towards Shadow, who carefully used the Emerald to shift himself a few feet over.

Sonic flew by again, and Shadow dodged again. And again. And again.

“You know, you’re getting better at speeding up,” Sonic admitted. “But you’re still not as fast.”

“Wanna bet?” Shadow replied, grinning.

“Get ready to lose all your money.” Sonic flashed a grin back. “Apotos, last one there has to give up their Emerald as well. Hope you like dust because you’ll be eating it for a week straight when I’m through.”

“We’ll see about that,” Shadow said. As he watched Sonic dart off, he pushed himself forward, being careful to hang onto his cargo as he unlocked one of the cuffs around his wrist.

* * *

Sylphic woke up to the sounds of pleading cries. His body was sore and he wasn’t entirely sure how he’d been moved, but after a moment of regaining his clarity, he felt a tug from behind him.

His hands were cuffed behind his back and attached to a chain on the back wall. His arms were sore from having been yanked that way, and as he tried to fiddle with the lock he came to realize that the cuffs weren’t simply wristband, but rather covered the entirety of his hand up to his mid-forearm. He looked down to assess his tools, only to find that his pouch was empty and his new canteen was gone.

“You’re finally awake, I was wondering when the gas was going to wear off,” Eggman said, shuffling by his containment. “Looks like you’re going to get a front row seat.”

Sylphic looked up and saw Cream and Cheese furiously pounding on the glass while Briar attempted in vain to stay calm. Behind them sat a still unconscious Bastette, hands cuffed in front of her and to a significantly shorter chain in the center of the floor. The water level was at Cream’s waist as she shouted in fright.

“Why are you---”

“You betrayed my trust, hybrid,” Eggman said. He reached through the bars and playfully held a finger under Sylphic’s chin.

Sylphic tried to bite him, but the chains clattered behind him as he realized he wasn’t far enough to lunge. His eyes had the same spark of a huntsman, and he itched all over to break from his bonds.

“Mistake 1,” Eggman said. “You said you were taking both Emeralds to the ARK and yet you also said that Shadow took one from you. You didn’t have them both.” He chuckled. “Mistake 2: Shadow was given false coordinates and yet he still went to the right location to find an Emerald, meaning you fed him the correct information.”

Sylphic yelped as the chain was yanked back, and he swiveled his head slightly to see that it wasn’t just a wall mount the chain was attached to- it was a pulling mechanism. He reeled back as he was dragged against the wall, still fighting to break loose from the chains but to no avail.

“And Mistake 3,” he said, holding up Sylphic’s equipment. “Your canteen isn’t the same.” He tossed it inside the cell. “Don’t bother trying to get water from it- I made sure it doesn’t work.”

Sylphic’s blood began to boil as he noticed the couple of holes in the bottom of the container, and with a look of disgust shouted. “I got that from--”

“A friend?” Eggman interrupted. “Oh, Sylphic, don’t you realize what they’ll do to you? They gas you up and make you feel special, only to be let down when you can’t meet your end of their silly little unspoken contracts.” He turned to the girls. “Oh, how disappointed they would be in you if they weren’t going to die.”

He pulled open the hatch by the cell and started the water again. “I have plans for you, Sylphic, but I’m gonna have to break you myself.”

“No, please,” Sylphic cried. “They have nothing to do with the Emeralds, they’re trying to live th--”

“Don’t play dumb with me, hybrid, you know well that I’m not a fool to mistake you for some jaunty teenager,” he said. “I thought I was going to be using the Eclipse Canon, but knowing your biology means that I have a better weapon at my disposal.”

Sylphic felt his blood run cold as the doctor pointed to him.

“I’m not going to fight for you, Ivo! I won’t!” he said.

“Oh, you don’t have a choice.” He pulled a crank, causing the chain to go slack and allow him to clamber to the front of the cell. “You have certain genotypes that correspond to that of a mutated Chao, meaning you’re affected by a variety of things.”

Sylphic was too busy watching the rising water level and shouting to the girls in a frenzied panic. He didn’t want to dignify the madman with a response.

Eggman frowned and stood in his path. “I’m not done talking to you!”

“I don’t care, those are my friends!” he said. “Let them go free!”

“Maybe I will if you comply,” Eggman said.

The hybrid looked to the girls, then to Eggman, then back to the girls again and bit his lip. “What do you want?”

“Since your body can absorb things- things like Chaos Emeralds, for instance- you have an ultimatum.” He held out a familiar looking blue-black stone to Sylphic.

Sylphic coldly glared at him. “You must let them go.”

“Agreed,” Eggman said.

Sylphic hissed as he placed his head against the Sapphire, his body reeling with pain as it fused to his forehead. “Augh!” he shouted, stumbling about as he tried to clear his head. “Why are you…”

He stopped as his vision cleared, and Bastette stirred from slumber. Though she was sitting down, the water was already up to her neck. Sylphic had a momentary second of relief before he heard the water slosh faster.

“I’ll let them go swimming first,” Eggman said, turning up the water pressure.

As Sylphic fears were reborn, his restraints retracted towards the wall again, and in his blurry haze he couldn’t stay focused. The Sapphire was affecting his thoughts, driving him into a pitfall so deep that each rung of the ladder he’d have to use to climb out of it would be covered in the oil slick of a painful idea or memory. His eyes became teary as he called out in the hopes that Bastette would hear him and do something, but his vision was so smeared and disjointed he could barely even tell if anybody was in there anymore.

* * *

Shadow felt a buzz from his communicator as he and Sonic both blasted through a wall and into an indoor-outdoor garden, where the purple Emerald lay perched atop a statue, adorning the scenery with its glow. The black hedgehog looked down and stared at his wrist. It was the Doctor.

“This is Shadow, what do you---”

“You and Sonic need to bring the rest of the Emeralds to me.” There was a slight pause in his voice. “And you better hurry up- your friend here can’t swim.”

Sonic skidded to a stop. “Did he just--”

“That’s why he gave me false coordinates,” Shadow said, turning off his device. “But I doubt Eggman’s gonna find it easy to keep her locked up. He took the bait hook, line, and sinker.”

Sonic paused, tearing the earpiece from his ear and crumpling it in his grip. “Ugh, glad that thing is off.”

Shadow crossed his arms. “We can’t just give him the Chaos Emeralds, he’ll try to reactivate the Cannon.”

“Why would he want to reactivate the Cannon again? It doesn’t make sense.”

“What do you mean?” Shadow said. “He’ll use it to threaten the world.”

“He doesn’t need all of them to make that threat,” Sonic said. “You know what that thing is capable of.”

Shadow thought for a moment. “You’re right, he doesn’t need all seven if he’s bluffing. But then… what is he using them for?”

“I dunno, but whatever it is, we better get that last Emerald, otherwise… I don’t want my brain fried today, okay?” Sonic asked.

Shadow nodded. “How many do we have left? Sylphic gave the doctor the two we have, we both have one each, we just found this one…” he gestured to the statue. “That leaves two.”

“That leaves one,” Sonic said. “Egghead picked one up when I went to Soleanna.”

“One…” Shadow jumped up and reached for the Emerald, but Sonic’s hand beat him to it. The blue hedgehog smirked and stuck out his tongue

Shadow narrowed his eyes. “You done being immature?” he asked.

“No need to be such a sore loser, Shads,” Sonic replied playfully.

Shadow pursed his lips. “I’m surprised he’s not sending you shocks right now. Definitely would tie up a loose end.”

“Must’ve slipped his mind,” Sonic replied.

“Heh, not likely,” the black hedgehog said. “More likely he’s saving it for when you get really close to taking him down.” He climbed back down and nodded to himself. “So, one more to go. Are we going to work together or are you gonna get in my way?”

“No reason to be a sourpuss,” Sonic said. “Besides, I think we have a little help from above.”

Shadow looked up, where he spotted the Tornado-2 doing circles in the air. Sonic waved as his friends passed beyond the walls of the building.

“Need a lift?” Sonic asked.

* * *

Bastette looked around at the girls, who were attempting to tread water. “Girls, get over here, quick,” she said, doing her best to stay calm while the water slowly rose. At this point it was up to her to get them out, and she was racking her brain for a solution.

Use your head, she remembered Knuckles having said before.

“Alright,” he breathed, nodding as the girls clung to her frame. “Okay, I think I have a plan.”

As the water reached her bust, she sloshed her way to the glass wall, something that she could barely manage to reach with how strong their restraints were tied to the floor. She rested her head on the glass. “Not optimal, but doable,” she said.

She could hear Sylphic screaming as he writhed against the wall, trapped in a nightmare from whatever had happened to him. She’d been unconscious for most of it, but she knew that something was very very wrong with him.

“Sylphic, we’re coming!” she said.

She slammed her forehead into the glass, leaving a thick crack in the surface. It spread over two inches, but she knew she needed more. She dipped her head slightly below the water and lined up her head with the waterline before trying again.

The cracks bled together and began to multiply. Her breath hitched, she knew that it wasn’t over. Despite the massive damage, the wall still held.

“Briar, Cream, hang on tight.”

She reared back, the water now up to her neck, and slammed her head hard into the barrier at full force. She definitely saw stars, but wouldn’t have said it aloud. For a moment, she heard a ringing in her ear before she returned to reality.

Cream and Briar hugged each other, and Cheese patted Bastette on the back. “Chao,” he said.

Bastette was still panting before she looked down at her hands. The cuffs were still on, but she jingled them for a moment before headbutting it along a faulty seam. “Good thing these were built on short notice.”

She looked at the girls. “Sorry I took so long. That was a close call. Didn’t expect him to go all out.”

“Sissy, you gotta help him,” Briar said, pointing to the cell across from them.

She turned her attention to the hybrid. “Right.” She walked up to the bars. “Sylphic, I can get you out of there,” she said, gripping the bars. “Just let me--”

“Go!” Sylphic said, blindly breaking through his painful rage. “You don’t need me anymore!”

“Sylphic, I can’t just---”

“Go, Bastette, before I lose myself…” He looked up at her, and she caught the glint of the gem lodged in his forehead. His eyes were glazed over and his pupils were completely dilated. “Before I lose myself again. Before I hurt anyone again. Please do that for me."

Bastette was about to speak when the siren fired up. The girls huddled next to her. She pleaded with him to let her free him.

The floor iced up as a small crowd of robots began barreling down the halls. It coated every surface the water had touched but left the girls free to move. In his last moment of clarity, he looked to the cat and smiled. Then hanging his head, he called into the shrieking halls.

“ _GO_! ”


	11. The Burdens of a Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylphic receives a vision from the Sapphire's influence, revealing that he still has unfinished business, before being dragged out for Robotnik's master plan. While that happens, the Team is circling above trying to plan their strategy for taking Eggman down.

_Grandpa, why can’t I go down there?_

Sylphic’s eyes opened. He was in a white room, surrounded by screens. A door was open, and in the frame stood a little girl, short and sweet, eyes as blue as the marble in space beneath their colony and as innocent as they come.

He opened his mouth to speak. “Maria, I’m not your---”

A pain shot through his forehead and he hissed. “I’m sorry, Maria, I’ve been having a headache. Please forgive me.” He swiveled. “You can’t go down there because we don’t know if it’s contagious.”

“Grandpa, but I love the greenhouse. I love the insectarium. I love so many of the small things here and I wanna see more!” she said. “I don’t wanna live up here forever.”

He came over to her and knelt down. “Are you feeling well?” he asked.

“I’m a little dizzy,” she replied. “But I already had my shots today.”

Sylphic nodded. “And Shadow? How is he?”

“Moody, as usual,” she replied. “He worries too much about me.”

Sylphic grinned halfheartedly and held her cheek in his hand, stroking her face with his thumb. “You’ve been so brave these past few months,” he said.

“I know, Grandpa,” she said. “But I have to be brave. For you. For Shadow. For everyone like me who will be fixed because of the hard work you do. I’m just scared.”

“Whatever for?” Sylphic asked. He spied a tear running down her face, and he brushed it away. “What makes you so frightened, child?”

“Is there anybody who will be brave for me?” she asked.

Sylphic chuckled and picked her up, setting her on the table. “Well, Shadow’s being really brave for you right now.”

“Whaddya mean?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Well,” he explained, grasping her hands and setting them in her lap, “believe it or not, he’s not a big fan of getting blood drawn.” He chuckled. “The first few times, it took me more than a few hours to get it done. Not to mention under all that fur it can be difficult to find a vein.”

“And you?” Maria asked.

“Of course I’ll be brave for you, if that’s what you need right now.”

Maria hopped down from the table and ran towards the door. Sylphic turned around with a stethoscope in his hands, but dropped it as she went towards the exit. “Maria, where are you going?”

“I gotta go make Shadow a thank you card. And I’ll make one for you too, just you wait!”

Sylphic looked around the room as she departed. “What on Earth?”

And then, a flash, and he was back in reality. Back in the cell. Back to solitude.

He looked over, registering that Bastette had escaped and smirking. “Using your head, huh?” he breathed.

A small robot came into the cell and hooked itself to the chain that bound Sylphic to the wall. It cut the remaining chain away and paused to scan Sylphic. As he scanned, the hybrid pulled his bonds, momentarily sending the bot off balance. The machine countered with a shock sent down the chain and into Sylphic’s arms.

[Hybrid Lifeform. Please comply with escort to seaside observation deck.]

Sylphic grumbled, tugging his restraints but unable to work against the pull of the machine.

* * *

Tails began picking at the chips, trying to take off the ones near Sonic’s head, spine, and chest cavity. They were lodged in his skin like ticks- flat metal ticks the size of quarters. He grimaced, noting the amount of blood that was coming from each of them. “If we can get them away from vital points you should be able to worry less about biting it.”

Rouge, who had been handling the flight of the plane, grimaced, taking a turn. The Team lurched to the left, and the other member of Team Dark dug the tips of his fingers into the side of the cockpit.

“Rouge,” Shadow said.

“Sorry, I’m used to handling something a bit less... floaty.” She grimaced. “Tails, are you done?”

“Yeah,” he said, turning around. “Honestly, I’m just glad you didn’t crash.” He exchanged spots with Rouge and strapped himself in. “Hopefully we aren’t too late.”

The storm around them was worsening, and as the driving rain came down on Shadow’s thick fur, he sniffled. “What’s the plan for this then?” he said. “We got the last one, but we can’t just take them up to Eggman and hand them over.”

Sonic grinned. “We could always use them ourselves. If we’re close enough, we could probably…”

Shadow nodded. “I suppose if we infiltrate the base, we would be able to divide and conquer. Some of us could go bust your friend out of the building, and some of us could go and take down Eggman.”

Tails continued flying the plane, handling the turbulence well. The same couldn’t exactly be said of his friends.

Knuckles spoke up. “Any reason why we’re flying in a rainstorm? What if lightning hits the plane?”

“Haven’t you heard of a Faraday cage?” Tails responded. He was greeted with silence. “ Well, long story short, the worst that the lightning could attach to is the extremities of the plane. We should be alright if that happens, and even then, we aren’t grounded, so the likelihood is even lower. If we were on top of a tall metal pole sticking out of the ground that would be another story.” He pushed the wheel up, allowing the plane to tilt downwards. “I’ve also flown in worse with this baby. Let’s get to work!”

Amy, who held on tightly to the wing, nodded. “Tails, fly me low,” she said. “Rouge, I’m gonna need some extra muscle.”

“You got it, sweetheart,” she replied.

As Amy jumped, Rouge grabbed her arm and swung her down towards the front gate. “We’ll go around the front, you go through the back.”

Sonic nodded. “Tails, how many did you take off?”

“At least thirty. I’m glad it’s raining, I can’t imagine how matted your fur would be otherwise.” He paused. “Though I think the rain provides us with an advantage.”

“Huh?” Sonic said. “How do you figure?” he asked.

“Well,” Tails said. “These things probably wouldn’t mix well with water.”

“He had a disk just like it pressed on his head, maybe that’s what’s controlling it,” Sonic said. He leaned out the side of the plane. “What’s that?”

Shadow spied Eggman on a platform overlooking the sea. The waves lapped against the high surface of the walls and threatened to flood the deck with its wrathful torrent. A series of bright lights all shined down on the center, where a device stood waiting. From the building, a robot escorted a familiar face, who struggled against the chains in vain.

“It’s him, they’re down there,” Sonic said. “But why is Eggman outside?”

Shadow continued to watch as the hybrid was pulled onto the platform, and the doctor came forward, holding both of his arms out. A glint rested in his palms, and all at once Shadow realized exactly what the madman was planning.

“Tails, turn the plane around,” he said, his voice tense.

“But how are--”

“It isn’t safe, _turn it around_ ,” he said, vaulting over the side of the plane and clinging to the wing. “I’ll take care of this.”

He leapt from the wing and plummeted down towards the platform, and Tails frowned. “We can’t just let him go solo.”

Knuckles nodded. “But he  _did_ sound pretty serious.”

“Probably just wants the glory for himself,” Sonic said. “That’s no fair!” He began climbing over the cockpit.

As the three remaining members of the squad came over the platform, Sonic prepared to jump, but his muscles tensed up. He tried to move his hand and drop, but his fingers won’t budge. “Oh no, I’m stuck!”

Tails felt a prickle along the back of his neck, and as Knuckles leaned forward to try and jar his friend’s hand from the side of the plane, Sonic’s eyes went wide. “Knuckles, don’t touch--”

A massive burst of electricity hit Sonic and visibly danced along the edges of his fur before bounding into the plane’s circuits. The propeller seized up and Tails’ breath hitched as he felt the plane begin to descend. “Oh boy…”

* * *

Sylphic was lost in a blur as the rain hit his skin. He swore days had passed him by in the fifteen minutes it had taken him to walk to the observation deck, but he knew that couldn’t be the case. He tried to parse out what set of hallways he’d been dragged down, but the gem in his forehead continued to hum loud enough to keep him from focusing.

The Doctor looked at him before tilting his head at the robot, who pulled him onto the strange platformed device. A series of mechanical whirrs sounded as Eggman began to play with the control panel to his left.

“I took great care to make this while you were busy stalling in space,” he said. “I could have created a code to keep you from causing the ARK to crash, but like always, I played it smart.” He walked forward, placing the three Emeralds in his possession on three of the seven spires of the device.

Sylphic couldn’t hear him over the sound of the assault his senses were taking. His eyes tweaked like a camera lens, and he twitched in pain as he attempted to remain quiet, refusing to scream out despite the agony of the gem slowly fusing itself into his head. “I’m not going to let you break me…” he said.

“I already have,” Eggman said. “Your friends are drowned, that blue nuisance is no match for my disks, and---”

A beeping sound alerted the Egghead of movement within the facility, and he looked down at a screen on the panel. It was the girls, running at breakneck speed to escape. “How did they--” He was cut short as Bastette plowed through another door with her skull. “Why you little…”

Eggman groaned as he felt a strong kick to the back of his head, which sent him into one of the guardrails on the deck. “Oof,” he grunted.

Shadow landed and ran up to the control panel of the device. He examined it for a moment, watching as the cameras continued to pick up Bastette, and smirked. “Looks like we tricked you again, Doctor,” he said as he turned to face Eggman. He didn’t even look at the device as he brought his fist down on it, busting the circuits inside. “Game over.”

“Heh, for you, maybe.” Eggman brought up a small buzzer-like device in his left hand and pressed down on the button. The three Emeralds already placed within shot out a beam that hit the hybrid, sending him over the edge and into a painful and high-pitched shriek. “That was just a decoy. Did you really think I’d be that stupid?” Eggman said.

“Usually you are,” Shadow said. “You still are.” He looked over at Sylphic, who was shaking and twitching as the beams shot energy into his body. His arms began to enlarge and his fur became thicker as it separated slightly, revealing a watery energy from underneath in between patches. His eyes were glazed over, and Shadow could hear him muttering under his breath. His stomach dropped as he noticed the Sapphire that clung to the hybrid’s forehead. “So that’s your plan, huh? Using the Emeralds to weaponize him, turn him into a revenge-obsessed monster?”

“Precisely. My, you’re quite astute.” Eggman watched as the plane flew overhead and he grinned, holding a finger to the side of his head. “Playing keep-away won’t save you this time.”

Shadow hissed as he watched the plane above stall and plummet, stepping back to avoid the wreck when it would inevitably land. He spotted an ejector seat opening its parachute with the fox and echidna in tow, but that left Sonic missing.

Or at least, it did for a moment. Shadow frowned as he watched Sonic’s limp and unconscious figure hurtle towards the open water, and immediately launched himself into the building and kicked off the wall to reach him. As he made an impact, he clenched his eyes shut and teleported back onto the platform, skidding to a halt.

Shadow jumped back as the Tornado-2 fell propeller first onto the deck, releasing a cloud of thick black smoke. He set the blue hedgehog down and covered his own face, coughing a bit as the fumes burned at his lungs. He could barely catch the doctor, who was already fiddling with the buzzer in his hand again.

Tails and Knuckles fell down on the roof of the building, and as the fox lowered the echidna to the ground, his expression turned to one of concern. “Sonic!” he shouted, landing on the deck and running up to his friend. He leaned down and checked his pulse. “Alright, heart rate is still going, looks like he’s still breathing.”

Knuckles spotted the remaining four Emeralds in the wreckage. “Shadow, the Emeralds!”

“On it,” the black hedgehog replied, but as he stepped forward, he felt a strange tingle from within his chest. “What the---”

“Oh, did I forget about the tractor beam?” the Doctor said.

Shadow yelped in surprise as he was lifted off the ground. Knuckles and Tails were completely fine, as was Sonic, but he and the Emeralds were all being pulled towards the platform. He struggled against it but still couldn’t escape the pull.

Knuckles jumped up and grabbed his arm. “What gives?” he asked.

“It attracts Chaos Energy,” Eggman said. “Surprised you couldn’t figure that out yourself. No, wait, I’m not surprised at all.”

Knuckles tugged hard on Shadow. “Just keep your grip!” he said, trying to outshout the rain.

“Didn’t really plan on anything else!” Shadow replied. “He’s got the Emeralds though!”

“Yeah, I noticed!” Knuckles said.

Tails finished checking in on Sonic and launched himself into the air. “I’ll grab the Emeralds before they--”

He felt a sharp pain hit his side and he fell from his hover, rolling back onto the deck. He shakily sat himself up and looked down to his side, where his fur was burnt. He looked at the doctor, who held a small laser pistol in his free hand and was blowing the smoke off the tip.

“Lucky shot,” Tails said, panting.

The Emeralds clicked into place at the remaining pillars of the device and began following suit with the rest, shooting beams towards their central target. Sylphic screamed even louder and, even more terrifying, his body began to unravel and expand, slowly segmenting itself further as he absorbed the energy from them.

Knuckles yelped as Shadow fell on top of him, the beam having finally let him go. Shadow, frowning, looked down at the echidna, who was just staring blankly for a moment at the circumstance of their positioning. Shadow bristled and stood up, swallowing a lump in his throat. Knuckles awkwardly stood up as well and broke eye contact, incredibly weirded out by that moment himself.

Tails wobbled as he stood, hissing as his arm brushed the burn he’d received.

The hybrid sustained a long screech, and immediately his body unfurled into a monstrous dragonlike entity riddled with fur and energy- segmented appendages. His eyes had completely blackened, and his voice went from single to a choir. His mouth ran further up his face, and his teeth became razor-sharp and uneven like stalactites. His lower body was relatively unstable, not forming a pair of legs or anything, and beneath his now hole-like ears was a pair of rapidly fluttering gills. From his back, tentacles reached around aimlessly, and from his mouth spewed a light green mist. His now towering figure overshadowed the laboratory by a few stories.

The Chaos Emeralds had gone dark, just like they had before with Chaos in Station Square. As the beam subsided, the sound of a roar loomed overhead.

Eggman was ecstatic. “Yes, yes! Crush those pests into paste!” he yelled to the beast.

Sylphic screeched and knocked Eggman off the observation deck and into the water before calling up into the sky. The rain that was falling became hail the size of quarters, and the team took cover against the wall of the building, where a narrow roof would shield them. Shadow threw the unconscious party member over his shoulder. “Alright,” he said. “We need a plan. Now!”


	12. Downpour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls escape the confines of the base, and all the while the boys attempt to find a solution to the giant monster Sylphic has become.

Bastette rounded the corner, evading the nearby patrol bot who was out searching for her and the younger girls and Cheese. She had to occasionally look behind her and wipe the tears from Cream’s face, as she was already horribly frightened by the near-death experience of almost drowning. “It’s alright, we’re gonna get you home safely to your mother,” the cat whispered.

She stumbled upon the cell again. This had to have been the second or third time they’d found themselves back there. Though the first time it had happened, she’d had to evade the gaze of the Doctor so as to avoid recapture. She checked the area before stepping forward onto the thawed floor. She dared not even look at the shattered glass on her right, wanting to turn away from what she saw as a possible point of trauma for her and the younger girls.

Her gaze instead was cast to the cell on her left. The hybrid was gone and his cell had been opened. Lying inside was his belt and a punctured canteen, both of which the cat picked up and cradled in her firm grip. “Disarmed and forced into mourning…” she breathed, taking it with her as she stepped back into the center of the hallway.

The Chao tugged on her ponytail gently and pointed down the hallway to their left, where the cat spotted a familiar pink hedgehog and a white bat. “Rouge! Amy!” she called.

“Bastette!” Amy called back. “We finally found you! This place is a maze.”

“Spend three weeks in here and you’ll learn the layout,” Bastette replied, slowly stepping closer towards them. “Though I’ve been in circles, too. Where are the others?”

“They’re out back, finding a second entry point,” Rouge said.

“That won’t do much, the main problem isn’t in the building anymore,” the cat spoke. “Robotnik’s got our friend out back. I don’t know what he’s doing with him, but I saw the Sapphire stuck between his brows and realized it couldn’t be good.”

As Amy and Rouge came close, the pink hedgehog caught sight of something floating behind her. “Duck.”

“Huh?” Bastette said. She barely had enough time to lower her head before Amy took a swing at a robot behind her. As it bounced off the side of the hallway in a scrap heap, Bastette shot Amy a grin. “Nice weapon.”

A low buzz surrounded the girls as a swarm of similar bots gathered from both ends of the hall. Rouge adjusted the tops of her boots, Amy twirled her hammer a bit, and Bastette held the children behind her as she cracked her neck. Briar hugged Cream, who hugged her and Cheese back.

“Let’s show ‘em what we’re made of,” Amy said. She swung her hammer at the bots, tossing them about as though she were playing aerial croquet. Their spherical bodies bounced against one another, staggering and lazily floating as they tried to auto-adjust to their surroundings. Amy snarled, throwing her arms into max speed and slamming the head of the mallet against the center of the wave, violently throwing a few dozen of the things down the hallway and out of sight.

Rouge grabbed a few of the small orbs, grinning as she pitched them into the air and kicked them with her feet. As they hit the center of her boot they made a slight pop as the mechanical devices inside seemed to have broken, and as they disconnected from the contact point, they went from 0 to 100. They whizzed down the long corridor, taking out any and all devices that they hit. The bat then went in for seconds, then thirds, then fourths, grabbing the small bots and launching them at high-speed into becoming scraps.

Bastette thought for a moment before turning around to face a wall. She was feeling at the cold metal, trying to discern the weak spots. As she settled on the joints of each panel, she called to the two of them. “Get ready!”

As the cat slammed her forehead into the wall, two pieces of thick, heavy hallway ceiling came crashing towards them. Amy and Rouge gave each other a glance and then reared up. Amy slammed her hammer into the large slab in front of her and sent it flying down her end of the hallway, and Rouge kicked hers into all the bots flying from the other side. The pieces swept the remaining wave of spheres away and, after a moment more of clattering, the hall fell silent.

Rouge dusted off her left boot and grinned. “That’s quite the noggin you have there,” she said. “Betcha that could crack open a vault.”

Bastette nervously chuckled. “I’m more at home robbing graves than banks,” she said.

“Still, I bet you could have some fun on a heist.”

“I’ll have to pass for now, but thank you,” she said.

“Listen, we can discuss dinner plans later, ladies. Right now we gotta find the rest of the Team,” Amy said. “Bastette, where did Sylphic go?”

“He was escorted out back to the seaside observation deck,” she replied. “I don’t know what Robotnik could possibly want with him that’s out there.”

In that moment, a thunderous roar shook the facility, knocking another panel down from the ceiling. Bastette quickly scooted the girls against the walls and listened for the sound again.

“What on Earth is that?” Amy shouted, trying to remain louder than the rumbling around them.

“I don’t know, but it can’t be good,” Rouge said. “Let’s go, we don’t have time to lose.”

As the group ran down the hall, Rouge caught the glint of something inside a workshop room. Her eyes adjusted to the dark as she stopped and stared at it for a moment.

“What is it?” Amy asked.

Rouge stepped forward and looked around. “I think…”

“You can’t just be stealing things, not at a time like this!” the pink hedgehog scoffed.

“Relax, it’s Robotnik we’re talking about. Guy somehow has enough money to replace his bots over and over, he won’t mind if a few things go missing,” the bat replied. “Well, that, and we aren’t exactly stealing jewels here.” She picked up a gauntlet device that sat on a nearby desk, its blue light flashing like a weak inhale. “Bingo.”

Bastette and Amy followed her inside. “What is that?” Bastette asked.

“If my eyes are looking at this correctly,” Rouge said. “It’s a grappling hook.”

“That might come in handy,” Amy said. “Anything else in here we might be able to get working? It looks like junk to me.”

“Let’s see…”

* * *

Shadow grimaced as Sonic woke in his grip and began to squirm. “Ugh, I thought I was a goner for sure…” the blue blur groaned.

The black hedgehog set him down. “We were too late,” he said.

Sonic looked up at the towering figure on the deck. “Whoa, that thing is… him?”

Tails shook a bit and visibly swallowed. The seawater around the deck was crashing harder and harder against the white walls, and the fox could easily tell they wouldn’t last too much longer. “With a current that strong, the rest of you will get pulled under,” he said.

Knuckles pursed his lips. “I can swim just fine.”

“You won’t be able to hold your breath if your head hits a rock first,” Tails replied. “With the waves the way they are, I highly doubt survival will be possible. I’m only counting myself out because… well…” he gestured to his tails.

“Right,” Sonic said, trying to prop himself against the wall. “But how are we gonna save him? We can’t just leave the guy like that.”

Shadow pursed his lips. “He’s absorbed the power of the Emeralds, I doubt we will be able to save him like this. Our best plan of attack is to destroy him.”

The other three looked at the black hedgehog like he’d just sworn. “What?” he said. “I’m stating the obvious. If he’s got all that power, there’s no way we are gonna stop him. He has Chao genetics, he can’t die except by old age, and I’m not even sure if that’s true either.”

“Then what’s the point of trying to destroy him if we can’t even do that? You aren’t making sense!” Knuckles said. He hissed as a tentacle came down on him, and he rolled out of the way fast. “We gotta think of something!”

Shadow searched the ground. “Well, I figured if he’s anything like how I was made, complete and utter annihilation would be an option.”

“We’d need a _nuke_ for something like that, we’d be blown to smithereens, too,” Tails said, panickedly fiddling with his skate-anklets. “Besides, how can you say such a thing? He’s practically family.”

“Just because I suggested it doesn’t mean I like the idea,” Shadow said. “But what other options do we have? The Chaos Emeralds are drained of their power.”

Sonic looked over at the platform, where the Emeralds stood lodged in the machine. They’d been blackened, but still held a tiny glint. “Then there’s still hope.”

“Huh?” Shadow asked. He paused as Sonic stood and walked out towards the monstrous form and the Emeralds. “Where are you going, the hail will leave you a wreck!”

“A little chilly weather never stopped me before!”

Knuckles grinned. “Still as stubborn as ever.”

Tails rolled his eyes in relief that his friend had made enough of a recovery to walk again, and partly through his gaze refocusing he caught the sight of a small disk halfway towards the beast. “Sonic, can you throw me that?”

Sonic looked down by his foot and paused. “This?” he asked, grunting as another bit of hail hit his forehead. “Isn’t this what was on Egghead?”

Tails slowly nodded with a knowing glance as the hail intensified. Sonic knew that look anywhere, and he shot his best friend a thumbs up and slid the disk across the deck. “Good luck, buddy.”

Knuckles frowned. “The hail’s getting worse, we aren’t going to be able to give him a hand if we’re stuck over here.”

Tails picked up the disk that hit his foot. “Then hopefully this’ll buy us a few seconds.”

And then, the door from around a corner opened, and the girls stumbled out only to shriek at the hail and cling to the wall with the rest of them. Rouge was carrying a harpoon on her back and Bastette had affixed the grapple to her left wrist. Amy ushered the younger girls back inside where they’d be safe before taking out her hammer.

“Well, finally!” Knuckles said. “Took you long enough. What’s with the new gear?”

“We found it while making our way out here. Figured it could come in handy. Looks like we were right,” Amy said. She spotted Sonic out in the hail and frowned. “Who let him go out there?”

Tails and Knuckles looked over at Shadow. The girls put their hands on their hips. Bastette shook her head.

Shadow narrowed his eyes. “Like you’d stopped him if you were here.”

Tails pursed his lips. “I think I’ve figured out how this works, it looks complicated since it’s so small, but sometimes you can pack a lot into a small enough space. Now if I recall correctly, he said Eggman had on right about…” As he clicked the device onto the left side of his head, he winced. “Yep, I’m gonna need a band-aid taking that off later.”

“What is that?” Knuckles asked.

“It’s the device that allows for the control of Sonic’s movements. With this we should be able to get the upper hand.”

Sonic slipped on the deck and Tails paused, looking down at his hands and swallowing, realizing that control had already started. “Sorry, Sonic,” he shouted to his friend. “I’m still trying this out!”

“Well, could you let me get up to the Emeralds before you do your thing?” he asked aloud, barely heard over the hail.

The Team flinched as two legs began slowly dragging the figure upwards. Sylphic was getting up now, and their time was wearing even thinner.

“Oh no you don’t!” Rouge said, pulling the harpoon out and firing. The weapon pierced the hybrid through the chest, right at a segment of fur. Rouge shook as she struggled to keep him grounded, and Amy and Knuckles ran to her aid. They took a position on each side of the gun and pulled it back.

“We can’t hold this forever!” Knuckles yelled. “Tails, hurry it up!”

Sonic grinned and dashed forward, jumping directly in between the segments of fur and directly into the massive waterlike energy that lay below. He fought hard for his lungs to not immediately get invaded with an insisting presence that begged for any sort of relief, but he managed to wade his way in.

Tails hissed, feeling a shudder down his spine as he caught a taste of what Sonic was feeling while trapped inside there. “Here goes… nothing....” He felt his skin heat up under his fur, knowing full well that it was simply a reaction his mind was having to the link he now held. He pressed forward anyway, watching as he saw the inside of Sylphic’s monstrous form light up like a firework.

Sonic couldn’t hold his breath as the shocks went through him, and he exhaled and sharply breathed in, feeling the energy hit his lungs like a torrent. He wanted badly to scream, but that required air, something he didn’t have. He desperately fought the urge to flail and struggle, knowing that he’d tire himself out attempting to do so despite everything in his head screaming at him to do just that. All the while, he swore he could hear pained sobs from a distance.

Tails felt the burn in his own lungs and reminded himself that he could breathe while tears ran down his cheeks. He wasn’t happy he had to do this- he really wasn’t happy doing this- but at the same time, he reasoned he could use the shock to pause the hail if only for a moment.

And indeed, the plan worked. The hail slowed to a crawl, and the fox boy turned to Shadow. “Your turn… hurry up…” he weakly spoke, trying to concentrate.

Shadow nodded and launched himself at the hybrid, but as he reached the surface of Sylphic’s fur segments, a leg came up and kicked Shadow back. He slammed into the wall, tearing a hole and exposing the facility within and the two children and the Chao, shaking from the destruction. He groaned, gingerly standing back up. “Any other ideas?”

The tears were burning Tails’ eyes as he held the shocks longer. “Obviously… we need the legs to not move. We have one more shot. Bastette, how are you with that grappling hook?” he shouted through the blindness.

The cat nodded. “If I can use a manual one, a mechanical one won’t be much different.” She searched for an opening in the segments, planning to aim at one patch of fur so as to lodge it more firmly and avoid getting pulled straight through. But in an instant, she saw something that caught her attention even further.

It was a long chain attached to a pair of handcuffs, which were still encapsulating someone’s arms. But though she couldn’t see their face, she knew exactly who it was. Resolute, she shot her hook at the cuffs and tugged, managing a sharp shot wedge between the gap of a link. “Shadow, it’s you and I,” she said, launching herself towards the monstrous being and sliding across the deck.

As Bastette spun around the legs of Sylphic’s new form, Shadow tried another launch, this time diving headfirst into the energy and reaching Sonic within. He felt the tingle of the sparks die down as he approached and wrapped his grip around Sonic’s wrist. Outside, the hail resumed, and Tails fell on all fours and gasped for air.

The cat landed back against the wall and tightly hooked the wrist end of the grapple around the harpoon gun before pulling tight with the rest of them. It wasn’t enough, though. Rouge wrapped her leg around the line and pulled it down, but even then, that wasn’t enough to pull it out.

Bastette went around the barrel and began harshly tapping on it. “Rouge, I need you to help me pick up a sound. The lowest pitch, actually. Think you can drown out the noise?”

“I’ve trailed targets across shopping malls, this can’t be that much different,” the bat replied. “Gimme your best shot.”

The cat quickly began tapping her fingers against each part of the gun, doing her best to watch the minute details in the bat’s facial expressions. She had to find the right point.

“Why are you gonna destroy the gun?” Knuckles said.

“It isn’t that simple,” Bastette shouted through the storm. “Rouge, anything?”

“Right above the grip, from above,” the bat said.

“Here?” the cat asked, holding a thumb to the muzzle.

“Yeah, just about there.” Rouge grinned. “Good luck, don’t get a concussion.”

“Never have, never will.” The cat slammed her head into the gun and the group lost their grip on it. But in exchange, the harpoon dislodged from Sylphic’s chest and pulled the monstrous entity’s legs down, collapsing the waterlike energy for a moment and allowing the hedgehogs to escape and gasp for air. The hail stopped, and everything fell silent save for the turmoil of the ocean beyond.

Sonic coughed and spluttered, chuckling as he felt the cool air hit his lungs. “Welp, another thing off my bucket list, escaping death for like, what, the seventh or eighth time?”

Shadow pulled him off his feet. “Yeah, no, killing you will be my job,” he joked.

“If you can catch me first, Shads,” he teased.

“Uh, guys?” Tails said, pointing to the reforming figure as he tried to remain upright. “Mind saving your playdate plans for  _after_ we save him?”

Sylphic’s body rose from the deck as the energy regrouped around him. The gem lodged in his forehead glowed a brilliant blue and twinkled amidst the mass of what appeared to be a giant water strider. With its legs, it launched itself over the side of the deck and took the hybrid along with it.

“Looks like the Sapphire is still powering that thing,” Sonic said. “Looks like we gotta chase him down.”

“But without some way to traverse the rough seas,” Tails said, “you’ll both be pulled and dragged by the undertow.” He teetered slightly as he stood. “Ugh, that took a lot out of me.”

Sonic cracked his knuckles. “Remember the incident with Chaos?” he said.

Tails nodded. “Do you think it’ll work? It seems like with all that power, there’d be barely anything left.”

“Only one way to find out. Shadow, are ya coming with?”

The black hedgehog nodded. “Wouldn’t wanna let you take all the glory now, would I?”

“Ah, you complete me...” Sonic joked. He turned around and ran towards the platform.

“Good luck!” Bastette shouted, running over to Tails to prop him up. “If you can get him out of there and get the gem out of his head, I mean.”

Shadow nodded and undid one of his inhibitor rings. “Rouge, hang onto this for me,” he said, tossing it to her.

“Are you  crazy ?” she said, catching it in her gentle grip. "You're going to get yourself exhausted again."

“Relax, it’s only one, not both. Besides, we’re gonna need to get back to shore. I doubt the Chaos Emeralds are gonna hold us for a round-trip.”

“Just don’t wear yourself too thin, I don’t wanna have to fish your body out of the ocean,” the bat warned.

He gave her a silent ‘okay’ gesture and walked towards the platform, where Sonic was already trying to focus. “So you think there’s still energy in there?”

“I know there still is,” he said. “I managed it in Station Square, and I’ll do it again here.”

Shadow chuckled. “Then I guess it’ll be like old times, huh?”

“You, me, a big ugly creature that’s the result of Gerald’s work, and Seven Emeralds. Same song and dance, let’s do this. Ready for the encore?” Sonic asked.

“Oh you know it,” Shadow replied.

The tingle fell over the both of them, and what little energy remained within the Emeralds flashed a dim colored light, and the two of them stood in the center, back to back, as the remaining power of the stones began to fill the air like static. If it weren’t stormy it would’ve been easier to distinguish the sensation from the dull prickle of an oncoming lightning strike, but nonetheless the familiar glow of strength fell over them all the same. Sonic and Shadow both took in an inhale and shut their eyes.

It was the runner’s high of runner’s highs. The feeling of thunder rumbling through one’s bones. The first pluck of a guitar. All of those could easily describe the manifestation of the Emeralds’ power. It lit over their fur like fireworks in the air of a cool summer night, and burned brighter than the sun, turning their bodies the telltale brightened yellow and lifting them off the ground.

They both opened their eyes and nodded to each other, and rocketed off towards the retreating creature. Their burst of speed left a boom where they departed. The ground shook a bit, but then settled into a calm cradling of the remaining team.

“How are we gonna do this?” Shadow asked. He hadn’t even thought to ask about how to go about fighting Sylphic.

“We’re gonna try,” Sonic said.

“That’s… not very helpful. A for effort, I guess.” Shadow sternly looked ahead.

“You have a better idea?” Sonic asked. The water below them split from the pressure of their flight.

“We could both go in and grab him,” Shadow said. “This isn’t going to last us back to the base though, so we have to hurry.”

“Well, here we go then,” Sonic said, forcefully grabbing Shadow’s arm. The not-so-black hedgehog looked at him as they reached their target and plunged into the energy field surrounding the hybrid’s seemingly lifeless floating figure. Their invulnerability kept them from needing to worry about getting damaged, but Shadow still felt something that was horribly off. Sonic’s eyes widened having felt the same.

The two reached the hybrid and Sonic wrapped his and Shadow’s arms around him, making sure to hold on tight. As they gripped him, Shadow noticed a city growing on the horizon. “Oh no, that’s why he’s heading across the water.”

“Is that… Central City?” Sonic asked.

Shadow reached up and tried to grab at the gem, but his hand stood mere inches from its surface, refusing to move closer. He bristled as a shock of energy sent it back. He grimaced. “It’s protecting itself, I can’t disable it.”

“Wait, is that what that was?” Sonic muttered.

“Huh?” Shadow asked.

“I remember hearing crying when I was drowning earlier. It sounded like Sylphic but I’m not sure what he was crying about.”

“That’s it,” Shadow said. “Sonic, I’m trusting you to get us back to shore if I don’t wake up.” He reached and grabbed Sonic’s shoulder. “Don’t let me down, I’d hate that a whole lot.”

Sonic felt a huge surge of energy hit him like it did when they first powered up, and he watched as Shadow powered down, reverting back into black and sternly gazing at him. He could tell that the pull of the air from his lungs was strong, and with the last once of his strength, he gave Sonic a nod, and let go of his breath.


	13. Black Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow delves deep into the realm of Sylphic's mind to discover the source of his turmoil, resulting in a strange and deep conversation with an old friend. 
> 
> The last chapter, the longest of the entire fanfiction, and worth every second from the emotional intensity.

Shadow felt himself exhale as he woke to a world of white. The space was empty, seemingly nothing as far as the eye could see, and nothing to be heard except the faint whistle of the wind and a mournful sobbing song rising from what could barely be called a “horizon”. Shadow followed that sound down a blind path, knowing well that Sylphic was at the other end of the noise.

Features began to stick out of the noisy white surroundings like paper from a pop-up book. City skyscrapers reached their vain arms towards the sky and grasped in failure at the ever-evading clouds, and the people on the city streets wore no expression at all- in fact, they had no orifices from which to breathe, only a vague mannequin-like face whose eyes show nothing but the barest glint of despair.

Shadow’s breath hitched for a moment as he watched a car from the street careen towards him as he crossed the crosswalk. For a brief moment, his reflexes caused him to prepare for an impact, but before he could feel the cold paper-white metal hit his skin, the car stopped. He reached his hand out to the vehicle, noting how there was no driver, no anything- the windows were an opaque white just like everything else- and when his fingers caressed the edge of the bumper, it burst into a cloud of white petals.

Nothing here was truly real, Shadow had thought. It was all an illusion produced by the Sapphire.

Shadow ran down the rest of the crosswalk and looked around. “Sylphic?” he called, raising a pair of hands to his face. “Where are you?”

The resounding silence gave way to another wail, and Shadow followed its sour melody.

And then he found it- a clearing in a park. No, not a park, but a graveyard surrounded by a low white-brick fence. Sylphic, the only thing of color besides Shadow himself, was kneeling over a marble grave and staring at it with his head downcast. His spines fell around his face, obscuring what Shadow only could have guessed was a teary-eyed face. A large, ill-fitting lab coat was draped over his shoulders like a fallen funeral veil. In his trembling arms he cradled a bundle of white lilies like a small child.

Shadow looked around but saw no gate to enter. These weren’t walls that had already existed- after all, nothing truly existed here. The black hedgehog pursed his lips and grabbed the wall to pull himself up, only to be met with more bricks touching his hands. The wall grew higher by a few brick layers and then stopped, and it was all clear: these walls were merely a manifestation as well, a manifestation of something Shadow felt all too well.

“Sylphic, let me in!” he called.

“Go away,” the hybrid replied. “There’s nothing you can do for me now.”

“You can’t be putting up walls like this, fictional or not,” Shadow said. He tried to climb again, only for the wall to get higher. He whispered to himself, but as he flashed up towards the top of the wall, he was met with more bricks and was knocked back.

“Why do you care?” Sylphic replied, his voice tearing desperately through the air like a ripcord unleashing its parachute. It echoed off of the empty air and swung itself off into the distance, travelling far enough away that it dispersed and left the blank world somehow more silent than it already was.

Shadow leaned on the brick wall and sighed. “Because you’re going to end up getting people killed if you stay here.”

“It’s better than going back out there and facing the world, Shadow,” Sylphic replied. “A world without her, a world without peace, a world full of turmoil…”

“That is  exactly why you should go back!” Shadow said.

“No, it’s best I stay here and not subject anybody else to the pain I’ve already inflicted. You’ve made your peace, but me? I’m… _I’m not strong enough.”_ His voice petered out into a solemn whisper.

Shadow felt a familiar cadence in his voice and a chill hit him. He knew that sound, and he knew that inflection. He grimaced, remembering the gruesome images that flashed through his mind. He heard her voice, he saw her smile, and the scent of lilacs wafted against his nose. He sniffled and clenched his fist as the tears ran down his face, and all at once, he raised his tightened fist up and shouted.

_“I miss her too, Gerald!_ _”_ he cried, bringing his fist down against the wall. It burst open beneath his touch and crumbled, framing his silhouette as the dust settled. Sylphic looked up at him, eyes red from what could have been hours of crying to him, to an equally grieving but unmoving hedgehog who only had to wherewithal to stare directly at him with a pained and longing gaze.

_“I miss her so damn much…_ _”_ Shadow hoarsely said.

Sylphic began to stand, but Shadow waved his hand as though to beckon him back into his kneeling state before walking over on his own. He nodded and knelt back down, turning his attention back to the grave.

“You’re still in there, even with all that extra personality surrounding you, huh?” Shadow said.

“Of course. I created his mind to be like mine and gave him my memories. I gave him all I could. I don’t remember anything past when I gave him these memories,” the hybrid replied. “I take it I did not survive.”

Shadow shook his head.

Sylphic, or rather Gerald, chuckled. “I suppose that’s how it goes with mad scientists now, isn’t it? You make someone your world, they take that world away and… and…”

Shadow sighed and put a hand onto Gerald’s cheek. “You know I’m not exactly well equipped for comfort, Professor,” Shadow said.

The hybrid laughed. “Yes, that was always a flaw with your design, but I suppose you can’t program personality like you can with a phenotype. Still, it didn’t stop you from being sweet towards her…”

Shadow nodded. “So is this… her grave?” he asked hesitantly.

“Any memory of this place, even the barest hint that might have been imparted, was used by him to make this place. These are the only details I would have remembered in my mad state,” he said. “At best, it’s a shoddy facsimile.”

“I see.” Shadow gingerly reached for the hybrid’s other shoulder. His hand hovered for a moment before Gerald reached his hand up and guided Shadow’s down to its perch before settling back in his lap. The black hedgehog’s fingertips gently clutched the white lab coat.

“I don’t know why I thought playing with fire was ever a good idea,” Gerald said. The lilies he held in his free arm wavered, and he gently laid them down parallel to the grave’s base. “She’d still be here if I hadn’t been so reckless.”

Shadow paused. The words stung, but he already understood that what the professor implied was far from what he’d meant. His creation was no accident, but it directly resulted in the Canon’s creation, which in turn had given birth to that fateful day. His hand grew tighter around Gerald’s shoulder.

“... yet even after all of that, though, I was still proud of what I accomplished with you.”

Shadow realized he’d tensed up as his arm fell away. “You… what?”

Gerald looked at him, staring through Sylphic’s bright blue eyes. “I was still proud of you. All your potential, all your talents, it left my head spinning at the thought of how you’d change the world.”

“It seems all I did was change it for the worse, though. I mean, look how Project Shadow left you. It was a disaster.”

“No, it wasn’t,” the professor said. He sat up and grinned. “You’ve saved the world, and you’ve honored her last wishes to the letter. You have a fearsome loyalty and that’s a trait it seems this world was lacking for a long time. I was certainly not afforded it while I was alive.”

“Wait,” Shadow said. “But if you’re here, are you really dead?” he asked.

Gerald chuckled and placed a hand on Shadow’s shoulder. “I’m only part of Gerald. Enough sentience to be him, but… not enough to afford myself the name. I’d prefer to leave that name in the past where it belongs- you know well that it isn’t my name, not anymore.”

“So, Sylphic, then?” Shadow said. “Is that really the name you chose?”

“It’s poetic, more than anything else. Sylphs are wind spirits, like the Vila of Slavic myth.” He looked at the grave before lightly tracing his fingers into its surface, and a name appeared- Maria Robotnik. “There’s this ballet I saw, the first and last one I saw with Maria before she was diagnosed, called Giselle. It’s the story of a man whose deceitful flirtations get him into supernatural trouble.”

“Oh?”

“Albrecht flirts with Giselle and her broken heart kills her, and she’s resurrected as a wind spirit called a Vila. They’re beautiful and graceful, but they find the men who scorned them in life and force them to dance until they die of exhaustion out of a twisted desire for revenge.”

“And you built him to do just that,” Shadow confirmed.

“Well, that’s the thing about the ballet- it might be a tragedy, but it doesn’t end with everybody dead.” Sylphic chuckled and caressed the white marble tombstone. “Giselle is taken in by the other Vila and told their next target is Albrecht, and when she is offered the chance to join the spirits for eternity, her purity of heart and her deep love for the young man saves him from certain death. She forgave him, rather than enact a selfish desire for suffering, and in return, she was saved from the fate of being made to enact revenge forever.”

He sat up. “My thoughts at the time might have been geared towards that selfish desire, but deep down there was likely something still left in me that was stronger than that despair, however silent it had become all those years ago.”

Shadow looked at the grave. “You rigged it all against yourself, then?”

“I suppose so, but I probably wouldn’t have been able to get free from such bloodlust if you hadn’t shown me that vision. I’d have wanted to remain ignorant if only to feel justified.” Sylphic paused. “Shadow, I’m sorry I put you through all that. I almost made you destroy the world.”

“I know,” Shadow said. “But now isn’t the time for that.” He pulled him a bit closer. “How long are you going to sit at this grave?”

“Until the pain goes away forever,” Sylphic said. “I thought it would go away when I learned the truth, but… it didn’t make it any easier.”

Shadow noticed the smell of lilacs and fought the urge to cry. Sylphic noticed anyway and offered the black hedgehog one of the labcoat’s sleeves.

“It  _never_ truly disappears, Ger-- I mean… Sylphic…” He paused, embarrassed by the seeming moment of disrespect. He shakily wiped his face. Sylphic didn’t even seem phased by it as he was processing those words.

“But how did you cope with it?” he asked. “I mean, you watched her…”

“Die?” Shadow asked. “Yeah, it’s trauma. It always will be. But I’m more than my trauma, more than my past. I’m my present and my future as well, as hard as it can be to believe some days.” A small smile cracked across his face.

“What?” Sylphic asked.

“I never expected to be the one telling that to somebody  _else_ , that’s all.”

“We all have a first time.”

“Indeed.” The black hedgehog sighed. “But it’s the truth. As the days go by it gets easier to manage, but there will still be days where it creeps up on you. And on those days, as hard as it can be to reach out for help, you learn that doing so means helping the one person in the moment who needs it the most.” He poked a finger into Sylphic’s white chest fur.

The hybrid chuckled. “Then I suppose you could help me with that?” he asked.

“Hmmm…” Shadow was on the fence.

“I’m not asking to move in with you, but know that I’m… well,  _not human anymore_ for starters, there are some things I still need to get a handle on. Like my emotions and my powers.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Shadow said begrudgingly, “but you know that I have obligations. You might not be interested in joining with G.U.N. but I’ve buried the hatchet and I’m a valuable asset to them. Perhaps you could use a hand in learning some new techniques, though.”

Sylphic swallowed a bit, knowing well what G.U.N. had done in the past, but chose not to press further with it. “Understood.”

The world around them began to shake, and Shadow stood up in a panic. The white sky above began to crackle, and from beyond the cracks there grew a brilliant yellow light. “What’s going on?” he yelled to the hybrid.

“This is a  _dream world_ _,_ Shadow, it’s collapsing because I’m going to wake up soon. Relax, you’ll wake up too. And nothing here can hurt us- none of it is real.” He pulled Shadow back down and looked at the grave. “Say, want to offer a flower?” he asked. “There’s still a bit of time, and I’m sure you’d love to leave a token of mourning, even if none of it is actually real.”

Shadow looked for a moment. “Can you make a black rose?” Shadow asked.

Sylphic paused and pointed to the hedgehog’s left hand. “You’re in the dream world too, and you’ve already made one.”

Shadow rolled the stem of the rose in his hand and nodded. The petals were crimson along their edges, but the majority of each petal’s body was a deep velvet black. He paused for a moment before leaning forward and placing the rose on top of the lilies. “There,” he said.

Sylphic leaned into him. Shadow, though slightly uncomfortable at first, melted into a relaxed state as he stared at the grave. The scenery around them was splitting apart, even the white walls in the graveyard were crumbling to dust, but despite this, the gravestone in front of them was unblemished.

“You know, it’s funny that you chose a black rose of all flowers,” Sylphic said.

“Why is that?” Shadow asked, looking at him.

“The magic would be spoiled if I told you now, maybe in a little bit.”

“Hmph,” Shadow hummed. He looked up at the sky, where the golden light grew brighter and brighter by the second. He remembered that hue, it was the one Sonic bore under the Emeralds’ influence, a sure sign that he too was returning to the waking world.

As the light grew more intense and Sylphic began staring up into the glow, Shadow caught a glimpse of the tombstone in front of them shifting again. Two words right besides Maria. The light almost blurred them out for the black hedgehog, but he grinned as he managed to catch a glimpse right before everything went white and opened his mouth to speak.

“Sayonara, Maria… and Gerald.”

* * *

Air, fresh air, hit Shadow’s lungs like a high-speed maglev train. He coughed and sputtered regaining consciousness as Sylphic woke up from the same dream. Sonic, fur still golden, was hurriedly trying to drag the two of them to shore while holding one of them with each hand, when he felt everything fade back to normal. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed, dropping all three of them into the water below.

As Shadow was plunged into the icy depths of the ocean his shock response forced him to inhale water, which he responded to by flailing about. The hybrid grabbed onto him from behind and squeezed, and while the water escaped from Shadow at a high velocity, he also felt as though he were about to puke. He turned and looked at Sylphic, who sheepishly scratched at the scruff behind his head. “Sorry,” he said. “Heimlich manuever. Don’t know how I got leverage, but hey, at least it worked.”

Shadow looked down into the water. “Sonic!” he shouted.

“Oh, right,” Sylphic said. He plunged himself deep into the water and swam to go get their friend.

Shadow pursed his lips, remembering that he’d freed up some of his extra power by taking off one of his rings. As he continued to tread water, he looked around. He certainly saw the lab nearby, and he had enough to last a short jump for two, but he wasn’t entirely sure if he could pull off a third passenger. He pushed for a moment as Sylphic came up with Sonic in tow.

“The storm is gonna pull you two under, go!” he said. “You have enough for you two, that’s all that’s needed.”

“Right, you’re at home in the water,” Shadow reminded himself aloud as the hybrid unloaded the cobalt hedgehog onto his back. He grunted at the added weight but did his best to kick harder to counteract it. “See you back on shore.”

Shadow trained his eyes on the base and bit down on his lip, feeling the familiar sensation in his gut as he warped from point a to point b. But as he blinked over, he hadn’t quite gotten a clear shot, and though he was able to save Sonic the trouble of getting any more banged up, he couldn’t say the same as his head smacked into a wall and knocked him out.

* * *

Morning came for Shadow as the irritating sound of a ticking analog clock hovered above him. He came to in a bed and groggily turned to Sonic, who was already up and fiddling with the IV drip in his arm.

Tails and Sylphic rounded the corner and into the room, where they both caught sight of the blue blur trying to undo his medical tethering. “You can’t be serious,” Tails said, putting his hands on his hips. “You know you need to get better, right?”

“Staying in bed when it’s this bright out? It’s a crime!” Sonic replied.

“I know you want to go on your afternoon dash but until your ankle recovers enough to not risk a fracture you are going to have to--” the hybrid was cut off.

“I know, I know,  _slow down and enjoy the scenery_ . This is the fifth time you’ve said it.”

“And I’ll keep saying it until it sticks,” Sylphic said. He turned to Shadow and smirked as he firmly gripped his wrist and locked the inhibitor ring around it. “You really overshot it. I’m surprised you recovered even this fast. A blunt force hit to the noggin like that should have given you more than a contusion, but… I suppose that’s how it goes with you, isn’t it?”

Shadow groggily sat up. “Where are we?” he asked, his eyes adjusting to the sun oppressively stinging the windowpane.

“Tails was kind enough to assist in getting an impromptu resting room for you.”

The fox boy grinned and held up his phone. “I didn’t do all that much, Bastette was the one with the connections. Just happened to have a friend willing to give us a stay at a 3-bedroom apartment until you two healed up.”

“There’s no way he offered that to you for free,” Sonic said.

“You’re right, which is why…” he paused as an alarm went off from his communicator. “That’s why I’m off to help him fix a total of fifteen cars with varying degrees of damage. Guy rents them out for movie stunts. Um, Rex Gilmore, I believe?”

“Aww man, I’m gonna miss seeing _Rex Gilmore?_ He makes some top quality popcorn flicks!” Sonic said. “This is so unfair.”

“It’s fine, I’ll talk with him again pretty soon,” Tails said. “Hopefully if I impress him enough I’ll be his go-to from now on. Plenty of time for autographs later.”

“Just stay safe, we’ve had enough adventures for one day…”

Tails chuckled. “Yeah. Take care, Sonic, I’ll see ya later.”

“You too, little buddy.”

As Tails closed the door, Sonic’s smile slightly dissipated as he flopped backwards onto his bed. “I’m going to go stir-crazy…” he groaned.

“How long has he been trying to escape?” Shadow asked. He could already feel his strength returning to him, but at the same time, a dull ache came from his chest. He looked down and silently winced as he noticed several lines of stitches.

“About seven hours. We’ve been on shifts keeping an eye on him,” Sylphic said. He toyed with one of his spines. “I think that since Tails is off duty it’s… Amy’s turn to watch him?”

Shadow fought the urge to stifle a laugh. Sonic shot him a death glare. “Don’t you  dare say anything, faker,” he warned.

Shadow swallowed his momentary satisfaction of seeing his rival frightened before turning back to the hybrid. “Why am I in bed? I have a healing factor.”

“A healing factor doesn’t break the conservation of mass, Shadow. You shattered a number of your ribs and I had to fish out every little piece of them. I’m surprised that your rib cage didn’t shish-kebab your vital organs. Then again, it takes a lot more than that to kill you, but that you know I’m aware of…”

Shadow frowned. “Right.” He’d forgotten who he’d been speaking to. “So what exactly do I have to do to convince you I’m fine?”

“Stay in bed, take your spplements, and eat a  _lot_ of calcium-rich foods. Oh, and soak in the rays from the sun- it’s why you’re the one next to the window.” He looked up at the analog clock across the room, where the clock read 2 PM. “If you’re feeling well enough, I’ll be back in by 5:30. Meet me in the living room, I have something to share.”

“O-Okay,” Shadow said. He tried to move one of his legs but the pain in his chest intensified. Normally he didn’t feel something like that for this long, but if what he said was true, he was going to have to eat to regain any of his missing bones.

Fortunately, Amy had just come in carrying two trays with large malt glasses atop, a sleek black gaming system, and a sketchpad accented with pink flowers. “Alright, boys. I brought some shakes, and I know that Sonic was gonna get bored so I brought this kart racing game? It looks like a rehash of the previous entry but the person I got it from said it’s totally different.”

Sonic nervously took his shake. “There isn’t some sort of weird stuff in here, right?”

“Yogurt and orange,” she replied.

Sonic took a sip but gagged. “Ugh, is that  _all_ that’s in there??”

Amy handed Shadow his shake. “Oh, no sorry, there’s also broccoli in there. Doctor’s orders, you know…”

“I can’t eat that, I’ll puke!” Sonic protested.

Amy huffed and grabbed a spoon off one of the trays. “Well, if you don’t take it yourself, I’ll just spoonfeed you.”

Shadow turned his gaze away at the quarrelling duo, not wanting to get caught up with the dramatics. He looked to the game system and softly smiled, looking over the colorful box art of the game. He hadn’t played a racing game before, at least, not a kart game. It was quite the gesture.

“Um, Amy?” Shadow asked.

Sonic and Amy paused, the latter managing to get a spoonful directly into the former’s frantic face. “Yes, Shadow?” she asked.

“Does this game have a timer?” he asked.

“Well, yeah, all of the ones in this series have a timer. Why?”

He stared at Sonic, then to his shake, then back to Sonic.

“Oh, you are so on once I’m done finishing this before you do,” the blue blur replied with a grin, grabbed the cup from Amy’s hands and going to work on it. Before Amy could react, both of them were already finished.

“Okay, well that’s one way to motivate him,” she said. “Thanks, Shadow.”

She left the room for a minute to go get another something prepared, and the two of them were left alone.

“That’s the last time I’m ever touching broccoli,” Sonic said.

“You’re gonna be here longer than I will, you know that isn’t true,” Shadow said.

“Wanna bet?” Sonic asked.

“I don’t bet on things with people who don’t have a fighting chance.”

Sonic frowned. “Well I can’t stay slow forever, now can I?” he asked.

“No, and I know better than to expect that this will be the last time you try to avoid being bedridden. But you know what, there’s still a way to be fast… well, second fastest anyway.” He reached forward and grabbed one of the controllers to the system. “Unless you wanna hide now.”

“Ohoho, it is  _so_ on,” Sonic said. “Pass the other one over.”

* * *

5:30 PM, on the dot. Sylphic was late for his meetup in the living room. Shadow was beginning to wonder if there was an accident or he had disappeared.

But then, a rustle from the knob of the front door gave way to a violet figure carrying a small cardboard box. “Finally, I thought these got lost,” he said.

“Where were you?” Shadow asked. “You said 5:30.”

“And 5:31 is right… now,” he said, watching the clock. “Any more questions.”

“Yeah, what is that?” Shadow asked.

“It’s a cardboard box of belongings confiscated from the ARK by G.U.N.. I’m glad your partner is as persuasive as she is with the higher-ups. I wouldn’t have been nearly as elegant given who we were dealing with.” He set the box on the glass coffee table in front of the black hedgehog. “It’s not much, but it contains a few things the office was adorned with before…” Sylphic stopped for a moment. “You know what I mean.”

Shadow nodded. “So you have a bunch of old drawings? Did you really need three hours to get that?”

“Bureaucracy was horrible,” Sylphic said. “It would’ve taken us fifteen minutes had there not been so many hoops to jump through.” He began rifling through the colorful sugar-paper collages and the paper chains and the childish pen drawings from before. “I didn’t need them all, to be honest, but I wanted to bring you these two in particular.”

And then, his hands carefully plucked out a large pink card and an even larger rolled up poster-sized sheet of yellowed paper.

“Are those…?” Shadow said.

“Yeah, they were saved after all this time. I was surprised, too.”

Shadow took the card in his hands and opened it. Maria had given him this card one day out of the blue. On its cover it simply read thank you in big squiggly letters, and when he opened it, there was a picture of him and the professor at a medical table. Shadow already knew what was happening in the picture, and he pursed his lips, remembering the tug of the tourniquet around his arm and the silent bee-sting as the blood was being drawn. There was a pit in his stomach, but it didn’t feel empty, just present.

The other one, though, wasn’t just covered with Maria’s handwriting. As he unrolled it, he recognized the strange words and the deep scratches of his own handwriting from 50 years ago.

It was the map they had drawn together, silly country names and all. There was even a color code that the two had decided on, one with a song that Shadow almost recalled aloud but shushed himself to not spoil the secret.

“Shadow, are you alright?”

“It’s…” he nodded. “It’s _perfect_.”

Sylphic stood up and sighed. “Well, I’m off to bed. I can hear your friend is already asleep in the other room.” He paused as he heard Sonic speak.

“No, no I don’t need to eat another one…”

The two who were still awake snickered a bit to each other.

“It’s your decision,” Sylphic said, settling down into a neutral state again, “but if you’d like you can take the third bedroom. Nobody’s in there right now, so there’s nobody stopping you.”

“Yeah, I think that would be best. I don’t think I’ll get to sleep hearing him prattle on about his secret dream escapades. I’ll go to bed in a minute.”

“Well then, good night, Shadow.”

As he turned to walk away, Shadow stood up and banged his shin on the coffee table. He hissed trying hard not to shout and wake the other occupant of the apartment.

“Are you okay?” the hybrid asked, swiveling back to face him.

“I…” the black hedgehog painfully swallowed. “I still have to ask you something.”

“ _Rebirth_ ,” Sylphic replied.

“Huh?”

“You were going to ask me why I found it funny that you chose a black rose. There’s your answer. Rebirth.” He smiled softly.

Shadow nodded and sat back down. “Well, goodnight, Sylphic.”

As the hybrid closed the door to his bedroom, Shadow took another look at the world map he and his old friend had drawn. He smiled and began running his fingers along the borders of each country, and before long, he fell asleep on the couch whispering the names he’d rehearsed.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're enjoying the fic, please consider supporting me by watching my page on deviantArt. I post my writing there as well as well as my ever-improving art.
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/monochromayhem


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